The Making of New Friends
by bbll22
Summary: *CHAPTER 16 NOW UP* A series of one-off stories showing such characters as Derek, Madge, Sir Handel, and many, many more including new friends and foes too from all across Sodor! There's sure to be a story for you to like! Hope you enjoy reading, and Reviews are always Welcome!
1. Derek and the New Steamroller

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Derek and the New Steamroller**

Derek the Diesel had struggled for a long time to make friends here on the Island of Sodor, but now after many numerous repairs, he has made good friends with BoCo and many other engines on the Island. Somehow, he'd even made friends with George the Steamroller, but from time to time, they would have disagreements.  
"I say..." said Derek in his posh tones. "I think you're blocking my way!"  
"No I'm not..." disagreed George. "I'm working!"  
"But you're not..." retorted Derek. "You're not even moving!"  
"I am!" gruffed George who moved backwards all of a sudden and then there was a loud bang. "Ooh..." moaned George. "What's happened?"  
"You've broken your drive system..." said his angry driver. "You silly thing! You need to be taken to the Menders now! Silly you!"  
"But it wasn't me..." protested George. His driver didn't reply, he was too furious as was the Fat Controller.  
"George!" he boomed. "As Buster is away being restored, you were the only Steamroller we had left! No, without you, I will have to find another one! This will cause confusion and delay!"  
"Sorry, Sir..." replied George sheepishly. Derek was still watching and couldn't believe that a new Steamroller would be soon arriving.  
"Spiffing news!" he laughed to himself, but this new Steamroller would be just as mean as George, and maybe even a bit more, Derek would soon find out.

A couple days later, Derek was in the vicinity of the Dockyards when he encountered the Fat Controller standing beside his car.  
"Derek!" called the Fat Controller. "I need you to collect the new Steamroller as Salty and Clark are busy at the moment. I would appreciate it alot!" he continued as he then got into his car and then went into the distance. Derek immediately set off and soon arrived at Brendam Docks where Cranky was lowering the new Steamroller onto a flatbed. However, this Steamroller didn't look anything like George or Buster in the slightest.

"What a bizarre contraption..." said an amazed Derek.

"Ooh...there you go!" said Cranky as the Steamroller had landed safely onto the flatbed. The Steamroller, or what was supposed to be the Steamroller was bright yellow with grey hazard lines across its sides. It had a flashing orange light aswell and looked very industrial.  
"I say..." said Derek. "What is your name?"

"Ranger..." replied the Steamroller-like contraption.  
"Heavens above!" gasped Derek. "What sort of name is that? Surely Barry, or Dominic or Howard would have been a more suitable name!" he continued in a very pompous tone.  
"No..." replied Ranger simply. "Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate being taken to work..."

"If you insist..." said Derek who then began to push the flatbed with Ranger on top to his first port of call. As the journey carried on, Derek noticed that Ranger really wasn't a Steamroller, he was something new.

"If you don't me asking?" said Derek. "What exactly are you?"  
"I am a Roadroller..." replied Ranger. "I don't run on steam, but to make it easier for everyone else, just call me a Steamroller, I really don't mind!" Derek already began to like Ranger and infact sped up a bit to get him to his work even sooner, but Derek soon encountered a hill, his worst enemy.  
"Oh dear..." said Derek's driver as he knew what was going to happen, and then it did. Boom went Derek's engine as it overheated, but today was worse than ever before, he brakes wouldn't work and he slowly began to go back down the hill.  
"Oh my!" said a shocked Derek. "Where am I going?"  
"I'd like to know..." said a sarcastic Ranger. Derek carried on going back down the hill until he eventually came to a steady stop. He didn't know though that he was blocking the line for Diesel and Dennis with some trucks full of unwanted scrap.  
"Hurry up!" oiled Diesel.  
"Now would be useful!" huffed an impatient Dennis.  
"I wish I could..." said Derek quietly.

Eventually, BoCo came to the rescue once again for his friend and towed him and the flatbed with Ranger along to the Construction Site where Miss Jenny and the Pack were. When they arrived, Ranger wasn't happy at all.  
"Oh no..." he moaned. "Not her...I can't stand her..." He was referring to Miss Jenny who many years he had worked for when she briefly lived in England.

"We meet again, Ranger..." said Miss Jenny who didn't look best pleased either, but as Ranger was lowered onto the site, he immediately got on with his work. However, BoCo had to leave Derek there as he was needed urgently to help sort out Bill and Ben. A repairman eventually arrived to fix Derek at the Construction Site, but he was struggling to concentrate due to the noise made by Ranger. His roller squeaked and screeched and scuffed along the newly made roads and left a big mark along them already.  
"My Concrete!" moaned Patrick the Cement Mixer. "You've ruined my Concrete!"  
"So what?" replied Ranger simply. Patrick was furious but Miss Jenny was holding in her anger for now. Poor Derek was still stuck next to the site and wasn't anywhere near fixed yet, but he also began to notice how rude Ranger was.  
"Out of my way!" he called to Kelly and Isobella as he flattened the roads. "Move, move, move you puny things!" he said to the others. Derek's opinion of Ranger had soon changed, but in the action of it all, Ranger lost focus of what he was doing. He saw another area of newly-laid concrete and thought immediately that it had to be flattened, but this area was still very wet, but Ranger didn't know until it was too late. His squeaking, screeching and scuffing roller felt silent as he slid into the slosh of wet concrete.  
"Oomph..."he muffled under the wet mixture. "Someone help, please!" and eventually, Nelson came along and towed him out before the mixture set completely. He was soon hoisted onto the flatbed he arrived on and as soon as Derek was repaired, he was taken away.  
"I'm so sorry..." apologised Ranger to Miss Jenny and the Pack as he was taken away.

"Now, that's more like it..." said Derek. "You should know your place in work, and that is never above the boss!"  
"Yes, I know that now..." said Ranger pathetically. "But, I want to stay here, I like it here, alot!" he continued.  
"I'll see what I can do..." said Derek who felt a bit sorry for Ranger now, but soon enough, the Fat Controller and Miss Jenny set up an agreement with Ranger to stay on Sodor.

Now, Ranger doesn't work with everyone else in the Pack, he works on his own, flattening or resurfacing old, broken roads. His orange light lets everyone know he is at work and he enjoys it to the full. He can only thank Derek for letting him stay here as Derek had used his old persuasive powers to good use.  
"You can be a really good friend to everyone you know..." said BoCo to Derek as they watched Ranger flatten a newly-laid road.  
"Really?" asked Derek in an extremely posh tone.  
"Ofcourse..." replied BoCo. "You're the only thing keeping me sane with Bill and Ben around! I just feel sorry for Mavis now..." he then joked. Derek laughed and then BoCo did aswell. They enjoyed being good friends, but for Derek, making new ones, such as Ranger has always been a bonus too.


	2. Madge, Terence and the Runaway Piano

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Madge, Terence and the Runaway Piano**

Madge, the Snub-nosed Lorry is an extremely hard worker and never puts her troubles before anyone else's. She has many a great quality to her name and this is why she is liked so much by so many. Without her, a lot of work wouldn't be done and met to deadlines, so Madge is very key to Sodor, just like so many others, one of which is Terence the Tractor. He may have become quieter in recent years, but he still loves to chat to anyone and everyone he meets. He knows of Madge, and Madge knows of Terence, but that's it. They've seen each other, and have spoken briefly to each other, but it is a friendship in the waiting, but it came eventually when the Runaway Piano Incident happened.

It was just another ordinary day for Madge and Terence. They both got on with regular duties and as always did them to the best of their ability.  
"Job done!" said a cheery Madge after delivering a new set of Rugby posts to the Sodor Rugby Club.  
"Arr, cheers luv!" said the Rugby Club Manager. "Tis a fine job you're doing!"  
"Ooh, thankyou!" beamed Madge as she pulled away for another job. The roads today were wonderful to run on for any road vehicle, and Madge reveled in the ease at which she glided along the various twists and turns that were before her.

"I haven't seen you this happy in a way..." said Madge's driver.  
"I'm always happy!" cheered Madge. "I'm not the kind to get angry at all!" she continued as she pulled up to her next job. The Refreshment Lady looked on.  
"Ooh, you are wonderful for helping me out!" she said with an extremely wide grin. "All I ask of you is to take these 'bootiful' Cakes, Drinks and Biscuits to the Market. My Sister is taking over my stall for today, so I hope these beauties do the business!"  
"No problem..." replied Madge who was as cheery as ever. Soon enough, Madge was loaded with all the Refreshment Lady's goods and made her way to the Market. Along the way, she passed several farmers fields, and in one of them was Terence. She beeped her horn as she sped by. Terence's driver waved in reply and carried on with duties.  
"Come on lad!" he said to Terence. "Just a bit more to be done and then you can rest!"  
"Oh good!" replied Terence. "My Caterpillar Tracks ache immensely. A rest is overdue!" he then sighed, and then before he knew it, he was back to work.

"Good work, lad!" praised his driver.  
"It better be..." said a worn out Terence as the day had only just got underway.

Madge had just finished unloading her goods to the Refreshment Lady's Sister when her driver got a message from a Market Trader.  
"Come on Madge..." he said. "Were meeting someone for some potential business. They won't be waiting for too long!" Madge was perplexed. Who was the someone? Why did they need her? It all seemed very odd, but as she carried on down the more affluent areas on Sodor, she began to see why her driver was so urgent about getting here.  
"Are they important?" she asked to her driver.  
"Just a bit..." he replied and soon enough, they arrived at a small Cottage. It looked amazing. Fields surrounded it, but there was a steep hill just next to it and that looked a bit scary to Madge.  
"Ooh..." she said as she saw the drop. "Just a tad steep..." Her driver soon got out and met a smartly dressed man with a blue and white polka-dot cravat. There was also a very smartly dressed woman wearing a red bonnet.  
"Good day, Sir..." chuffed the smartly dressed man to Madge's driver.  
"Hello..." replied Madge's driver quite simply. The conversation carried on between the three of them, but Madge tried to listen in. She still didn't know who the man and woman were, and she was struggling to understand what they were saying. Then her driver returned.  
"Ooh!" cried Madge who seemed a bit startled.  
"Oh indeed..." replied her driver. "That was the Duke and Duchess of Boxford! They want us, yes us to take their Grand Piano to their other home..."  
"Really?" said Madge.  
"Oh yes..." called a voice. It was the Duke's. "Madge, we would appreciate this a lot."  
"You see..." continued the Duchess. "Were hosting a reunion party between ourselves and our great friend Sir Stanley Fairbrinkle. He would love to hear our magnificent piano playing once more!"  
"Ofcourse..." said Madge. "When are we moving it?"  
"Tomorrow afternoon!" replied the Duke. "We'll see you then, we must dash! We have an Archery club to go to! Ta Ta!"  
"Blimey..." said Madge.  
"Indeed" agreed her driver.

The next day, Terence had moved fields and was now in one of the fields at the bottom of the steep slope by the Duke and Duchess' Cottage. It was still early in the morning and the Duke and Duchess pushed out their Grand Piano onto the road. Cars never really came along the road, so they were safe keeping it there. The Duke made sure the stands were in place so that it didn't roll away and then they sat and had a drink while they waited for Madge to arrive. As they sipped on their Fruit Punch concoctions, the Duke and Duchess of Boxford kept looking at their watches and sighed as Madge still hadn't arrived.  
"I think I'll take care of my Petunias while I wait..." said the Duchess to her Husband.

"And I think I'll have a quick games of Darts with myself..." sighed the Duke. They were upset as they expected Madge to be there, but they understood she had other jobs to do, so the wait wasn't unexpected at all. Meanwhile, Madge was just about to make her way to the Duke and Duchess' job when she was held up by the Butcher who was taking an age to unload the cargo he had ordered.  
"Ta Madge!" he groaned as he struggled to lift up the individual loads of cargo. Eventually, his son came and helped and Madge finally made her way.  
"About time!" she muttered under her breath. Her driver agreed but as they sped along the twisty roads, Madge just thought of the wonderful work she'd be doing for the Duke and Duchess, and soon enough she arrived. She had to turn around so that it would be easier to load the piano onto her, but this made it difficult for her driver to judge distances. Her looked in his rear-view mirror and thought that there was enough space between Madge and the Piano, but mirrors can deceive and this was one of those ocassions. Madge reversed too far back and just tapped the piano, but the tap released the piano's stand and it started to roll down the hill. The Duke and Duchess were in shock, as was Madge and her driver. The Grand Piano was now a Runaway Piano...

Madge turned round as quick as she could and raced after the Runaway Piano, but it wasn't easy. The Piano was far ahead and was nearing the farmer's fields where Terence the Tractor had just noticed what was happening.  
"Oh my..." he said astonished. His driver became extremely worried and soon evacuated to take cover and keep safe. Terence was left alone and now couldn't move. He became worried that the Runaway Piano would collide with him, but he hoped it wouldn't. He could also see Madge was struggling to keep up with the pace of the Piano, but she was trying. Then, it happened. The Runaway Piano hit the kerb of the road and lifted into the air. It tipped, and it tipped and then it landed in the field with a mighty bang. Madge felt terrible, and poor Terence felt sorry for her. His driver soon came back and Terence towed the now broken piano onto a flatbed.  
"Thankyou Terence" sighed a disappointed Madge. She then sadly took the smashed piano to the Duke and Duchess, but they weren't angry at all.

"No need to fret, Madge..." comforted the Duke.

"We've arranged a back-up Piano from our good friend Lady Edwina Harrogan." added the Duchess "She will personally take the Piano to our other home." she continued as she tried to cheer Madge up.  
"But, we thankyou for your efforts however..." concluded the Duke. Madge felt much better now and soon enough she was accompanied by Terence.  
"Fun day, eh?" he joked with Madge.  
"Oh, you could say that..." replied Madge who began to smile after quite an eventful day. Now, she and Terence speak more often to each other and just generally enjoy each others company. Since the piano incident, they have become great friends and talk often about their work, but one thing is for sure that after that day's incident, neither of them wanted to see another Grand Piano ever again!


	3. Sir Handel and the Horse Show

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Sir Handel and the Horse Show**

Sir Handel is often thought of as the arrogant engine on Mr. Percival's Railway as he always thinks he's the best, even if he has done wrong. He doesn't like taking the blame for accidents and incidents but revels in others misdemeanors. It was now that time of year again on the Island of Sodor where the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's great friend, Lady Edwina Harrogan had once again arranged for a Horse Show. These Horses weren't any regular horses though as they came from a posh estate on the Mainland. Every year it happened and every year the same Horse Trainer, a Mr. Lloyd Dunargon would come with his esteemed friends and their very posh, but very arrogant Horse Van, whose name was Raleigh. He never got along with Sir Handel, and Sir Handel never got along with him, so this year, as ever, would be very interesting indeed.

It was an ordinary Summer's Morning when the engines on Mr. Percival's line noticed that the Horse Show Cavalcade was making its way through the wooded roads that neared their rails. All of the engines could hear the horses neighing and they felt that this year, they neighed louder than ever before. It was almost as if they didn't want to be there at all.  
"What a racket!" spluttered Duncan.  
"They are going to cause so much confusion and delay again!" moaned an angry Rheneas.  
"But..." interrupted Sir Handel. "They look more scared than ever before, which is a good thing for me!" he then beamed. Then, as the cavalcade went along, he saw him, he saw Raleigh.  
"Ooh...there he is!" said Rusty to Sir Handel. "I don't think he's happy at all!" and Rusty was very much right.  
"Stupid, stupid road!" moaned Raleigh. "Why hasn't anyone correctly resurfaced this? This is a disgrace!" he then continued. His driver, Mr. Crabtree, wasn't best pleased either with the roads.  
"This are the worst roads ever! This is even worse than when we hit that ditch in Canterbury!" he moaned loudly. "I'm going to put in a formal complaint!" he then roared. Raleigh didn't dare moan now as he was slightly scared that he might send Mr. Crabtree over the edge, and he didn't want that. So, he kept quiet from now on until they arrived at the grounds for the Horse Show, and when they arrived, Lady Edwina Harrogan was awaiting them.  
"Oh wow!" she said dressed in her elegant gown. "Mr. Dunargon, how can I say that this is once again a privilege that you've come to Sodor! Sir Topham Hatt would love to meet you this year, as would his Wife, and might I just add that you look wonderful!" Mr. Dunargon was slightly amused as ever by Lady Harrogan's eccentricity, and as a result, his suave, sophisticated manner of response always seemed to magically make Lady Harrogan zone out completely, but the eccentricity and suaveness was soon evaporated as Mr. Crabtree came with his very fierce complaints.  
"Oi! Harrogan!" he called. "Where's Bertram then luv? I've got a complaint to make!"  
"Sir Topham Hatt..." corrected Lady Harrogan. "Is at his office at this precise moment, but I can fetch you Mr. Percival if you wish to make a complaint..."  
"If you would..." replied Mr. Crabtree rudely. Lady Harrogan soon went and fetched Mr. Percival who then had the mispleasure of Mr. Crabtree shouting at him about the state of the roads for over half an hour. When it finished, Mr. Percival was relieved.  
"Phew!" he said simply as he then regained his thoughts.

Later that day while Mr. Percival was recovering from the verbal battering he got from Mr. Crabtree, Sir Handel was chuffing along the line next to where the Horse Show was to take place. The area was surrounded in ribbons and glitter and all manner of things that sparkled in the light. Infact, it was too bright as poor Peter Sam and his driver and fireman who were coming in the opposite direction were all blinded by the sparkles and came to a sudden halt. The jolt at which they stopped caused their slate trucks to derail and as a result, it forced Sir Handel to come to a stop aswell.  
"Oh well done Peter Sam!" said Sir Handel sarcastically. "Now, they can all look at me! Including a certain Raleigh!"  
"I'm sorry..." apologised Peter Sam. "I couldn't help it! The sparkling things are way too bright for me and I-" but before he could continue, brakes were slammed and then a thud was heard against Peter Sam's slate trucks. It was Rusty.  
"Stupid sparkles!" he called. His driver wasn't best pleased either. He was so angry that he made his way over to Mr. Crabtree and Mr. Dunargon.  
"Oi!" he called. "Take them down! They've already caused two accidents, so I'd take them down if I was you, or I tell Mr. Percival!" Neither Mr. Crabtree or Mr. Dunargon took Rusty's driver seriously at all, and just ushered him away, but Raleigh wouldn't stand for it.  
"Don't talk to my friends like that!" he yelled. "No-one talks to them like that!" but then he noticed Sir Handel smirking in the distance. "Oh, it's you..." he said when he saw Sir Handel. "The arrogant one! The one who thinks he's best! Well, quite simply Sir Handel, you haven't won, and you never will!"  
"Really?" said Sir Handel to himself. "Well, we'll see about that!"

A few days later, the Horse Show was now underway and many spectators came to see the wonder of Mr. Dunargon's Horses. Among these spectators was the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt.  
"Oh Topham..." she said. "What a wonderful Anniversary Present this is!"

"Anniversary?" muttered the Fat Controller to himself. "Phew..." he then sighed as he watched the show continue. Lady Hatt was amazed by the display, and as a keen rider herself, she still wanted her husband to buy her a horse.  
"That one, dear!" she pointed out to her husband. "I want that one!"  
"I don't think they're for sale..." replied the Fat Controller.  
"Oh, what a shame..." sighed Lady Hatt who then continued to watch the show. Meanwhile, in the distance Sir Handel was in a queue of traffic behind Skarloey who was taking passengers to the later show. There were many carriages, all of whom couldn't cope with the amount of passengers, but they coped just about. As for Sir Handel, he was going slower than he could ever recall and it was annoying him, his driver and fireman greatly.  
"Come on Skarloey!" they called, but Skarloey just wouldn't listen and slowly made his way. As he neared the stop, it appeared that Sir Handel and his crew had lost track of where they were and as Skarloey stopped, they had to react quick. They applied the brakes and whistled loudly and stopped just in time, but the whistle from Sir Handel had scared one of the show's horses and they scarpered away from their obstacles and charged away. As for the horses rider, he was flung off and landed in one of the water troughs and got completely soaked. The crowd laughed, including the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt, but Mr. Crabtree and Mr. Dunargon weren't pleased at all...

"What do you think you were doing?" said a furious Mr. Crabtree.  
"We saved ourselves from a major accident..." replied Sir Handel's crew, but Mr. Crabtree wouldn't listen.  
"Do you realise how scared that Horse is now?" he then furiously asked.  
"Not very..." remarked Sir Handel. "It looks fine now..." and indeed it did as it was eating its food perfectly and didn't look scared at all.  
"I agree..." called a voice, and that belonged to Lady Edwina Harrogan. "Mr. Dunargon and Mr. Crabtree, you have caused nothing but trouble since coming here this year. I cannot believe we are associates if you treat my dear friends like this...it is unacceptable!"

"Oh be quiet you!" called out Raleigh who had lost his patience altogether now.  
"Right, that's it!" yelled Lady Harrogan. "Get out of here, NOW!"  
"You can't command us..." protested Mr. Dunargon.  
"Oh, but I can..." boomed a voice. It was the Fat Controller's. "And as Lady Harrogan said, 'Get out of here' because I'll be calling the Police if you don't!" and with that, the Horse Show came to an abrupt end. The Horses were led away into their holds and Mr. Dunargon and Mr. Crabtree angrily got into Raleigh and drove away even angrier.

"And be off with you!" called Lady Hatt as they drove away. "Oh, thank goodness, they were a nightmare!"  
"I agree..." sighed Lady Harrogan, and as they chatted away, the Fat Controller spoke to Sir Handel.  
"Now Sir Handel..." he whispered. "I wouldn't normally thankyou for such behaviour like that, but on this one occasion, thankyou!"  
"No problem, Sir!" replied a slightly shocked Sir Handel who couldn't believe that he'd been thanked for behaviour like that.

That night at the sheds, Sir Handel was as arrogant as ever and all the other engines couldn't stand it any longer.  
"Oh please do be quiet!" called Duncan. "We get it, you got away with bad behaviour! So what? I need sleep!"  
"Pah!" replied Sir Handel who then carried on talking about the event, until Mr. Percival came to tell the engines of some news.  
"I've just been informed that Mr. Dunargon and his Horses are still on Sodor. It appears that our 'awful' roads have caused Raleigh to brake down! Thankfully, they'll be gone by Morning, so there is no need to worry, and that includes you Sir Handel!" The other engines laughed and Sir Handel became very embarrassed, but as Mr. Percival said, by morning, Raleigh and everyone else associated with the Horses had gone and they never ever came back, much to the delight of everyone!


	4. Bollards

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Bollards**

Dennis the lazy Diesel is now beginning to gain a much better reputation on the Island of Sodor after his initial 'problems'. Now, after proving himself to be quite useful, the Fat Controller has reallocated him to the lines just outside the main town. There, Dennis could witness the daily goings on of people on Sodor and see how societies build and strengthen. One thing Dennis really admires is cars and he loves to see them move in and around the main town. He loves to look at them as they park so that he admire their design and colours while he rests. He sees so many different cars of so many different colours that Dennis feels like he's seeing a rainbow before him, but now Dennis saw new objects blocking parts of the road, and he didn't like them at all!

"Bollards..." said Dennis' driver. "That's what they are!"  
"Bollards?" questioned Dennis. "What exactly are they there for?"  
"Safety..." replied his driver. "They keep drivers on the right side of the road. There's no need to worry! Their not replacing the cars at all!"  
"But..." interrupted Dennis. "They're grey! Hardly pretty are they?"  
"Well you're hardly pretty are you?" interjected an oily Diesel whose engine hummed gently.  
"Well..." began Dennis. "Just go!" and Diesel eventually did. He pulled a big grimace at Dennis as he left and made sure that he didn't feel welcome. Dennis just ignored him and soon enough began his duties once more. He helped deliver trucks full of cement and concrete mixture to workmen who were preparing a new round-a-bout for the main town. There, he saw a brand new works lorry who the workmen were very proud to call their own.  
"That's Austin!" said the main workman. "He helps us no end!" he then chuffed. Dennis was horrified as again something new was in and around the main town. Austin may be very helpful, but Dennis doesn't like new things, and as he set off, he was still horrified.  
"Why is everything changing?" he asked to his driver.  
"The times are moving on, Dennis!" he replied. "New things come, and old things go! It's the way of life!"

"Well I don't like it!" huffed Dennis who was in a mood for the rest of the day. When he eventually returned to his shed that evening, he saw that the workmen from earlier had parked Austin the new works lorry next to his space.  
"Oh hello!" called Austin. "Sorry about this! A 'bollard' – I think that's their name has taken up my regular place! This was the only available one we could find at short notice." he then explained, but Dennis didn't look happy.

"Why me?" he muttered under his breath. "Why not someone else? I hate the new, they know that!" but Austin was oblivious to what Dennis was muttering and tried to be friendly.

"So..." he began cheerily. "What do you reckon to the new Exchange Line Section they've redone recently?"  
"Erm..." struggled Dennis as he reversed into his place. "It's alright I suppose...I prefer that new Multi-storey Car Park though..."  
"Really?" asked Austin with surprise.  
"Oh, ofcourse!" smiled Dennis and the two of them chatted for most of the night.

Morning rose and Dennis saw that Austin had gone and his driver was waiting for him to be ready.  
"I hear you and Austin got along well then?" joked Dennis' driver.

"Well...we chatted." said Dennis who didn't want to admit that he'd got along with something new. Then, he heard a horn, it was Austin.  
"Hello mate!" he peeped. "They've removed the bollard! I can go back to where I normally rest! But thanks for keeping me company!" he continued as he then sped away. Dennis was sad, but he purposely didn't let his face show that and he would be terribly embarrassed. He soon set off and was near the bridge overlooking the main town but was blocked on his way by Stanley as there was some sort of problem down below.  
"Sorry Dennis!" he called back. "There's a bit of a commotion down in the town!"  
"What is it?" asked Dennis' driver.  
"A Bollard!" replied Stanley. "Its one of those even newer retractable ones! As a car has gone over it, its come up and lifted the car onto its side!"  
"Oh dear..." said Dennis. "I knew they'd be trouble..." he then whispered to his driver.  
"Not now Dennis!" he retorted. "Let me see if any help is required..." and he soon left. Then, a siren was heard in the distance and it got louder and louder.  
"Oh no!" called Stanley. "It's an Ambulance! This seems serious!" and indeed it did. The Ambulance pulled up and two Paramedics came and took the injured driver away. He had cuts all over him, and it didn't look good at all, but the danger wasn't yet over...

"Something's dripping!" called a bystander as they looked on at the damaged car on its side. Then someone realised what it was.  
"It leaking petrol!" they cried. "Someone call the Fire Brigade! It's going to ignite!" and they weren't wrong. Soon enough, the drips became slower and a slight flicker of flame began. The flame then got bigger, and bigger and soon enough, people had evacuated the nearby area. From above, Stanley and Dennis were shocked but then they heard the Fire Engine's Siren, and that calmed them down.  
"Oh! Thank goodness!" cried Stanley.  
"Indeed!" agreed Dennis as they watched the brave firemen tackle the blaze. Soon enough, it was under control and then completely extinguished. They all got a round of applause for their efforts and as Dennis' driver returned, he spotted someone familiar.  
"You're friend is helping tow the car away!" he said jokingly to Dennis. Austin could just about see Dennis above at the bridge and peeped at him. Dennis' driver waved in reply as Austin towed away the burnt remains of the car. Stanley then set off and then Dennis did as they carried on with duties for the rest of the day.

That night, Dennis was returning back to his shed when he saw a stand in the town down below. There was the Mayor of Sodor addressing the local residents.  
"Well..." he said. "In light of today's events with the bollards, both the stationary and retractable ones, I feel that it would indeed be safer not to continue deploying them! So, very soon these bollards will be removed and the roads restored to what they once were!" The residents cheered and the Mayor soon left, but Dennis was very happy indeed.  
"I said they were now good!" he boasted proudly.  
"I know..." replied his driver who was now very annoyed, but as Dennis returned to his shed, he was greeted by Stanley and Austin.

"We thought we'd keep you company!" they said.  
"Oh good..." said a surprised Dennis who then began the nights conversation. "Now, did I ever mention that I hated bollards?"  
"Oh dear..." sighed Austin and Stanley.


	5. MightyMac and the Mighty Great Luggage

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**MightyMac and the Mighty Great Luggage**

It was very early one morning and Mr. Percival got into the passenger side of a small blue car. This car was the Fat Controller's. Both of them were off to a Business Conference on the Mainland and had delegated their duties to their respective wives. Lady Hatt and Mrs. Percival were very happy indeed.  
"We'll do wonders!" boasted Lady Hatt to Mrs. Percival as they sat down in the Hatt household drinking their tea. Mrs. Percival agreed, but noticed on her list set by her husband that she was nearly late for her first delegation of duty for the day.  
"Best be off Jane!" she said quickly as she made her way to her very small red car.  
"See you later, Polly!" smiled Lady Hatt who then sipped more of her tea. Her delegation of duties didn't begin for a good while so she began to polish her valuables to pass the time. "I'm polishing, I'm polishing, I'm polishing..." she sang to herself. Lady Hatt's cat looked at her oddly and soon left, as Lady Hatt's singing got even louder...

Soon after leaving, Mrs. Percival arrived at the Skarloey Railway sheds where MightyMac was awaiting her arrival.  
"Lovely to see you Mrs. Percival!" they beamed brightly.  
"Lovely to see you..." she replied as she then began to tell MightyMac of their duties. "You have a big day of work ahead of you..." she announced. "It will require strength and motivation as you are to take several passengers all at once who all have very heavy luggage loads!"  
"Sounds easy!" said a jolly Mighty.  
"It might be tough..." said Mac apprehensively. He never liked taking heavy loads as he took the main bulk of the wait while Mighty seemingly took all the glory, but he hoped today would be different.

"I shall see you tonight..." said Mrs. Percival as she made her way to her car. "Toodle-pip!" she called just as she drove off. MightyMac were now ready for work and were eager to begin, so they made their way to fetch a big carriage and then proceeded to their first station of the day.

A little later, MightyMac chuffed into their first station where they were greeted by an unusual man.  
"I'm Dr. Munro!" he said with a wide smile. He was dressed in normal Doctor's clothing but had several suitcases, full to the brim and a very unusual Skeleton on wheels. "Please take me to the new Exhibition Centre. I'm doing a Seminar there! I would be very grateful!" he continued as a porter began to load his items onto MightyMac's carriage. The suitcases weren't very heavy at all, but unusually, the Skeleton on wheels seemed very heavy indeed.  
"Watch out!" called Mighty. "We're not an Express engine!" Mac laughed, as did Dr. Munro who took it as general banter, but as MightyMac set off, they noticed they had to pull harder than usual, but they were soon off and were roaring down the line. Soon enough, MightyMac, the carriage and Dr. Munro soon arrived at the next station. There, standing at the station was a World-famous Boxer who was to be taken to Sodor's Premier Boxing Ring for his big fight tonight. He had several travel bags full to the brim and a suitcase with his training equipment. He also had his Personal Trainer's suitcase too and a carry-case holding his very heavy Title Belt.  
"Oh dear..." muttered Mac to himself. Mighty didn't hear and once again joked as the Boxer unloaded his and his Personal Trainer's luggage onto the carriage.  
"Cheers for this!" he gruffed to MightyMac.  
"No problem..." gulped Mighty who didn't want to annoy him as he looked very strong indeed. The Boxer soon met Dr. Munro and an awkward silence fell between the two of them. So MightyMac set off once again, but it was even slower than the last time. The Boxer's heavy luggage combined with Dr. Munro's made the carriage harder to pull as Mac felt the full brunt of it.  
"Ooh..." he cried.  
"Oh grow up!" sighed Mighty sarcastically as they chugged away. Soon enough, they arrived at their next station where a man in Construction gear stood at the platform. He looked very important indeed.  
"I need you to take me, my construction drill, my luggage, these blueprints and these important documents to the new Construction Site!" he commanded at MightyMac. Mac sighed.  
"Not more!" he moaned. Mighty began to feel the same way too and as the Construction Man loaded his stuff into the carriage, an awkward silence fell between him, the Boxer and Dr. Munro. The carriage was very heavy now, and it was harder than ever before to pull. MightyMac's wheels slipped at first, but as soon as they gained grip, they were off, albeit very slowly.  
"It will be over soon..." sighed Mac, but it wasn't over yet.

The weight on the train was very immense now and MightyMac were struggling to cope with all Dr. Munro's, the Boxer's and the Construction Man's luggage. It was extremely heavy and as they all arrived at the next station, MightyMac were aghast to see even more heavy luggage. They wheeshed a great amount of steam and were clearly not up for it, but Mrs. Percival wouldn't be happy, and neither would Mr. Percival when he was to return. So, MightyMac continued with their duty. The Passengers this time were three Photographers all with very, very heavy Photography Equipment and their own luggage. MightyMac sighed loudly.  
"How much more can we take?" asked Mac loudly. The passengers all heard and felt slightly insulted that their train didn't look happy to take them, but as the Photographers luggage was loaded onto the carriage, the strain on MightyMac was greater than it had ever been. They tried to pull away, but they struggled greatly. Their wheels slipped and slided but eventually they made their way. Next, they arrived at a station where Jem Cole was standing with a big, clunky engine on a trolley.  
"To the Orchard, please!" he said jollily. "I've got Trevor's new engine ready!" MightyMac look exhausted but tried yet again, and just about made it. For Jem, he was left to stand in the carriage with the engine on the trolley and the awkward silence between him, Dr. Munro, the Boxer, the Construction Man and the three Photographers. As MightyMac slowly pulled away, they realised that there was only one station left to pick passengers up from, so this was good news indeed. When they arrived at their final station for the duty, there were only two smartly dressed ladies with very small luggage bags. MightyMac smiled greatly and as the women boarded, MightyMac tried to set off, but as before, they struggled. Their wheels spun even more than before and the strain was even more present than before, but then MightyMac ran out of steam. They had puff left and couldn't chugg along at all. The passengers weren't happy at all, and MightyMac didn't feel useful at all...

A telephone call was done by the Stationmaster and the nearest engines came to help out MightyMac. Soon enough, Bertrum and Rheneas arrived and coupled up. Bertrum was to pull from the front and Rheneas to push from the back. As they set off, MightyMac felt a sense of relief as they no longer had to pull the heaviest carriage they'd ever known. Bertrum and Rheneas were glad to help and as they arrived at the stops, the passengers were very understanding.  
"Thankyou for your help!" beamed Dr. Munro. "I'm still early anyway!" and he soon went into the Exhibition Centre.  
"Cheers, lads!" gruffed the Boxer when he arrived at the Indoor Boxing Ring. His Personal Trainer was waiting and in comparison to the Boxer, he was very small and had a very high pitched voice. They waved the cavalcade off and soon enough, the Construction Man arrived at the Site.  
"Thankyou indeed..." he smiled. The cavalcade kept on going until it came to the new Skarloey Railway Bird Sanctuary. The Photographers were all here for the opening.  
"Cheers MightyMac!" they all said at once in an equally posh tone and then, the long, heavy train continued until it came as close as it could to the Orchard. Trevor looked so happy to see Jem Cole and his new engine. Jem was very grateful indeed.  
"Here are some fresh apples for you all!" he said to MightyMac's driver and fireman.  
"Oh...cheers!" they replied seemingly very shocked indeed. Eventually, the cavalcade came to a halt and Bertrum and Rheneas uncoupled from the train to let MightyMac rest, but the two smartly dressed women were still onboard the carriage. When they got off, MightyMac were very surprised to see who they were.

"Mrs. Percival!" exclaimed Mighty.  
"Lady Hatt!" said a shocked Mac.  
"Oh indeed..." replied Mrs. Percival and Lady Hatt in unison. Despite what had happened today with the heavy train, they both looked happy with the effort MightyMac had made.  
"We're very proud of you..." said Mrs. Percival fondly. "What you've done today has demonstrated what is so special about the engines here on Sodor!"  
"You never give up until you can give no more!" added Lady Hatt. "I can see why our Husbands are always so proud of you. They see a real determination and hard work ethic, and that can't be replicated elsewhere at all." MightyMac and their crew seemed very flattered indeed and thanked them greatly. Then, as a reward for their hard effort today, Mrs. Percival and Lady Hatt agreed to give them the rest of the day to relax and even get a brand new coat of paint.  
"Thankyou! No, really thankyou ever so much!" said MightyMac. They'd never imagined this would happen to them and they felt really useful engines. As they went away for their relax and the re-paint, Mrs. Percival and Lady were chatting about their work.  
"This running a Railway malarkey isn't that hard is it, Polly?" said Lady Hatt with a broad smile.  
"No, not all, Jane!" replied Mrs. Percival. "It's a piece of cake!" and both of them heartily agreed.


	6. Big Rock

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Big Rock**

Thumper is an Industrial Drilling Machine. He is bright orange and loves getting dirty with his supreme drills. They crash and they crumble against the rocks of Sodor and they make work so easy for not only Thumper, but for all the Machines working on the ever-expanding development on the Island of Sodor. Thumper never feels appreciated, but the Fat Controller and Miss Jenny know that he is very, very important indeed, but when they were away at a Business Conference, would the temporary replacement feel that Thumper was very important? Only time would tell...

It was early next morning when Thumper was awoken by the sounds of a crash. In the far distance, Donald and Douglas had collided with an old set of trucks. The trucks were beyond repair, but giggled through their pain and Donald and Douglas couldn't stop blaming each other for the incident.  
"What do you think you're doing?" shrieked Donald.  
"Nothing..." replied an angry Douglas.  
"Nothing? Dougie! What are you on about? You made me crash!" retorted an even angrier Donald.  
"I didn't!" said an adamant Douglas and the argument continued for an age as workmen cleared the area until it was safe. Eventually, Thumper's driver arrived and slowly, they made their way to the latest Construction Site. It took an age as Thumper is very heavy and his caterpillar tracks are very slow to get going.  
"It'll be tomorrow before I'm there at this rate..." gruffed Thumper to his driver.  
"I know..." agreed his driver. "I hope you get that upgrade eventually, it will make you faster..."  
"I hope so." wished Thumper to himself. He just wanted to be useful, and to him, being faster meant being very useful. Thumper kept thinking this until he arrived at the Construction Site. It was surrounded by rocks and withered old trees with an abandoned wood hut nearby. It was to be converted into a new picnic area for residents and tourists and the Refreshment Lady would have a separate store there to get even better business than usual. Then, Thumper and his driver noticed a woman standing with a clipboard and a bright orange helmet on her head.  
"This must be the temporary replacement..." said Thumper's driver.  
"I hope she's nice..." added Thumper.  
"Me too..." agreed his driver. The woman waited patiently and looked very important indeed.  
"Hello." she said. "I'm the temporary replacement for Sir Topham Hatt and Miss Jenny Packard. My name is Keeley Morgan, and I hope to make good friends with you all." Thumper and his driver looked on anxiously. They weren't sure what to make of Keeley Morgan, but they tried to be nice and soon got chatting. Eventually, Keely Morgan told Thumper of his important duty.  
"Drill the rocks?" muttered Thumper sarcastically. "That's nothing new..."  
"It's still very important!" reassured Keeley Morgan. "Now, I best make my way, I have a meeting with Mr. Percival and my Scooter can't keep waiting!" she then beamed and soon enough, she zoomed away on her Scooter to do her duties. Thumper's duties were now about to begin...

Work was soon underway and Thumper began to crash and crumble the rocks with his drills. The rocks moved out of the way and slowly became thinner, and thinner and the drills crushed them even further. Workmen arrived in Tipper Trucks and took away the rocks to clear the way.  
"This is good work..." said Thumper to himself. His smile grew wider still as the work got along, but soon enough, there was only one big rock left. After numerous attempts, the rock just wouldn't crumble.  
"How bizarre..." said Thumper's driver. But neither him or Thumper were prepared to give up. So they tried once again. Thumper's drills whirred harder than ever before, and they brushed against the big rock, but it still wouldn't crumble. So, he tried once again and his drills whirred even faster. The drilling noise screeched louder than ever before, but still nothing happened. The rock was still intact.  
"How is this possible?" asked a frustrated Thumper. But he didn't wait for a reply, he tried once again, and his drills whirred even faster than before. They screeched and squeaked and even chugged as Thumper was using all his reserves, but still, the big rock wouldn't crumble. His driver sighed and gave up.  
"Come on Thumper..." said his driver. "We'll just have to report this to Keeley Morgan." Thumper agreed and a workman was soon found who then telephoned Keeley Morgan. She then arrived back at the Construction Site with a zoom on her sparkling Scooter. She'd brought workmen along with her and they tried with pickaxes to see if the big rock would crumble, but it just wouldn't. Other Machines were brought along such as Ned the Steam Shovel and Olly the Excavator to help get rid of the rock, but like everyone else, they failed. Keeley Morgan, like the others gave up. She couldn't believe, she just couldn't believe it. The Big Rock would never crumble, and this was halting the construction of the new Picnic Area, something that no-one wanted.

By now, Keeley Morgan had now lost patience with the big rock that simply wouldn't crumble and even telephoned The Fat Controller and Miss Jenny while they were at their Business Conference.  
"What do I do?" she asked nervously on the telephone.  
"Use your initiative!" boomed the Fat Controller. "An idea will come to mind, trust me!" and soon enough, an idea did spring to mind for Keeley.

"That's it!" she declared happily to the others at the Construction Site.  
"What's it?" gruffed Thumper.

"The Rock can be the centerpiece to the new picnic area! We'll have a plaque too detailing how strong it certainly is! No-one will deny that 'Big Rock Picnics' will be the best picnics on Sodor!" replied Keeley ever so cheerily. The workmen spoke with her and set out the plans, and everyone soon agreed. Work commenced elsewhere on the site while the big rock, now known as 'Big Rock' remained in its position. Thumper carried on crumbling other, less tricky rocks while Ned and Olly helped clear the area altogether. Trevor the Traction Engine soon came too with new trees to be planted while the Sodor Gardeners' Club came and planted beautiful, luscious new flowers.

"These will be the most beautiful trees ever, Ms. Morgan!" beamed Trevor.  
"Oh, please call me Keeley..." replied a slightly shy Keeley Morgan whose cheeks went slightly red with embarrassment. "My, oh my, I shouldn't be this embarrassed!" she then said and then made her way to her Scooter to fetch some more resources. More workmen soon came and Lumberjacks came to take away the withered trees. Decorators soon came with a sign for the picnic area while others some came and painted the Refreshment Lady's store which had just been renovated from the old abandoned hut. The Refreshment Lady soon came to see how her new store was doing, and she was ever so pleased.  
"It's bootiful Ms. Morgan! Really bootiful! How can I ever thankyou?" she beamed ever so proudly.

"Erm..." stuttered Keeley. "A Free Iced Bun and a Coffee would do lovely, thankyou!"  
"No problem, dear!" beamed the Refreshment Lady even wider than before, and as the work continued, the Construction Site was now looking like a proper picnic area. The sign was in place, the store looked spic and span and the benches were now in place. With help from Olly, Ned, Many Workmen, Lumberjacks, Decorators, the Sodor Gardeners, Trevor and Thumper, Keeley Morgan had utilised her initiative to the best of her ability.  
"It looks so wonderful!" she said so proudly.  
"Indeed it does!" boomed a voice. Keeley looked around and there in the distance stood the Fat Controller with Miss Jenny at his side.  
"Tis a lovely job you've done!" congratulated Miss Jenny.  
"Thankyou..." beamed Keeley whose cheeks went bright red again. The Fat Controller and Miss Jenny smiled proudly at Keeley and everyone that made 'Big Rock Picnics' a beautiful addition to Sodor.  
"This is the best picnic area of all!" smiled the Fat Controller and everyone agreed.

After its opening, 'Big Rock Picnics' has become a hot-spot for visitors and tourists alike. The Refreshment Lady's store is doing roaring trade and 'Big Rock' has become an icon of sorts on the Island. Thumper feels overwhelmed by it all, and many thank him and his drills for not destroying 'Big Rock'.  
"Well what can I say?" say Thumper arrogantly. His driver just tutted as he watched Thumper tell children and adults how he came to meet 'Big Rock'. Meanwhile, the Fat Controller, Mr. Percival and Miss Jenny had several meetings to decide on the future of Keeley Morgan, and when she got the news, she was ever so happy.  
"You're keeping me?" she said shocked.  
"Ofcourse!" boomed the Fat Controller. "We'd be daft if we didn't!" and from then on, Keeley Morgan has made several new additions to Sodor ranging from a new Animal Sanctuary to a new Crazy Golf Course. She is very respected and liked by many, and she knows just like Thumper, that all of this couldn't have happened without 'Big Rock'!


	7. Sodorus

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Sodorus**

The Island of Sodor is a vast place of majestic beauty where Forests and Flowers make the Island a true spectacle to see. Residents of the Island take pride in their local area and make sure it is upto standard. All the engines and vehicles of Sodor also enjoy the scenery before. Henry has his own Forest while Harold the Helicopter surveys the Mountains on a regular basis, but there is one area of Sodor that certainly isn't upto the standard of elsewhere. This place is Centre Island Quarry. All the engines there have simply had enough with their scenery.  
"Rocks, Rocks and more Rocks!" tutted Bill one morning.  
"Don't forget about the Dust!" added Ben.  
"Don't get me started!" huffed Bill angrily and he then went ahead and biffed a truck exceptionally hard. The truck crashed into the back of BoCo and he wasn't be pleased at all.  
"Stop it you two!" he called. "I know we've all had enough of this Quarry, but it doesn't mean you have to take it out on me!" and he soon went off. Mr. Rock, the Quarrymaster wasn't also getting bored of the same surroundings. He may have been at other Quarries in his career, but this was definitely the most boring one.  
"Hmmm..." he sighed from his office that morning. "Something's got to change...it just has..."

Later that day, Mavis and Fergus were joined by Diesel who had come in while Derek was cooling off from yet another over-heating issue.  
"Sorry Mavis! Sorry Fergus!" he called from the shed poshly. "You know I can't help it!" and both of them knew, but they would sooner have Derek than Diesel any day of the year.

"'Ello Mavis..." oiled Diesel eerily, but he never said hello to Fergus as he just didn't like him. Mavis didn't reply and all she said to him was what trucks needed putting where, and that was it. Soon, they were all at work and as they shunted trucks, all they could do was look at the surroundings.  
"Oh dear..." sighed Mavis. "What can I look at? There's nothing interesting..." Fergus was struggling aswell as he shunted devious trucks into place.  
"There are Rocks and Dust...wonderful!" he said sarcastically to himself and his driver and fireman agreed. Even Diesel was struggling to find anything interesting from the surroundings.  
"Beige, Beige and even more Beige! How bland can this place be?" he said angrily to himself. Meanwhile, Mr. Rock was happy to be leaving the Quarry one morning on Business and left the engines to sort out the trucks on their own, but this wasn't a good idea at all.  
"You biff the trucks really hard!" commanded Bill to Fergus.  
"No, you don't!" he retorted. "Do it sensibly! Do it right!" but Ben then came from nowhere and biffed Fergus. BoCo and Mavis who had been put in charge were struggling to maintain peace and soon Diesel was having a go at Derek.  
"Silly Diesel!" he oiled angrily. "You're a disgrace to the Diesel name! You don't even work!"  
"No-one says that about me!" gruffed Derek and he then pushed Diesel back and he almost came off the lines. BoCo and Mavis couldn't assert any authority at all, but someone could, and he'd just arrived.  
"What is happening here?" boomed a deep voice. This voice was the Fat Controller's and he was extremely angry. Things weren't to get any better as Mr. Rock got out of the passenger seat of the Fat Controller's car.  
"I disappointed in all of you!" he said angrily. "I know all of you aren't to blame, but all of you are to stay at the sheds for the rest of the day while other engines do your work because none of you are getting along!" All of the engines soon went to their sheds and stayed quiet for the rest of the day.

The replacement engines soon arrived and those in the sheds looked on unhappy as Dennis, Percy, Toby, Molly, Nicholas, Neville and Emily all came along to help. There was no quarreling and everyone got along perfectly well. Mr. Rock was pleased and hoped this would set a good example to his engines, but none of them were concentrating on the others, they were looking at the scenery, or the lack of scenery.  
"The Quarry has lost its magic..." sighed BoCo miserably. "I loved working here, but now its just a formality. I don't like that at all..." and the others in the shed agreed and when night-time came, they could atleast look at the stars, but they were soon gone as the weather changed drastically. High winds came and heavy rain poured and poured down at the Quarry. The engines were concerned as their shed rocks in the high winds and felt like it would tear apart. Tiles were flying off buildings and were breaking against the shed. One narrowly avoided Fergus and he was relieved.  
"Phew..." he sighed, but the winds continued and got even stronger. The rain wouldn't stop either and then the nearby Water Tower became a victim of the high winds. It crashed and clattered onto the land and spilled water right at the engines. Their sheds weren't sturdy because of the high winds and now they were no longer warm because of the water in and around them. Change had been wanted, but not this kind.

By mid-afternoon the following day, the damage was finally cleared up. Harvey had been working for hours already and Kelly the Crane was worn out by the effort too. Workmen were mopping up the water around the engines in the sheds still and that's when Mavis noticed something in the distance. Just as Harvey and Kelly left, something green was noticeable in the dusty landscape.  
"What is it?" she wondered. The other engines did too, and they soon asked Mr. Rock to go and look for them. He soon did and was extremely surprised to see what it was.  
"A Flower!" he exclaimed. "It can't be! I'm mistaken!" and he soon got others to look and they all agreed it was a flower. It had red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, black and white all on it. It looked like a rainbow on a flower, but no-one had ever seen a flower like this before. No-one was sure if it was important or not, so Mr. Rock called in Professional help and it soon arrived.  
"You called for help?" said a very posh sounding man who'd arrived in Harold.  
"Yes..." replied Mr. Rock. "...and you are?"  
"Humphrey Harrington, the best of all the Flower Experts!" he announced pompously. Mr. Rock was surprised and amused at the same time and soon showed Mr. Harrington the mysterious new flower.  
"So...what do you think?" inquired Mr. Rock after Mr. Harrington had inspected for a good while.  
"Well, well..." he stuttered. "I've never come across a flower like this before. I think I need some assistance with the matter, hope you don't mind!" and sure as Mr. Harrington's word, his help soon arrived. This time, four other Flower Experts came and all looked at the flower. No of them had ever since a flower like this and were most intrigued. Then, Diesel shouted out something.  
"There's more of them! Over there!" he said excitedly. The Flower Experts soon raced over to the new location and were amazed to see more of the mystery flowers.  
"This is beyond bizarre..." laughed BoCo.  
"But they're certainly pretty!" smiled Bill.  
"And it certainly beats looking at Dust!" smiled Ben.

News was spreading fast over the new flower and engines wanted to see the mystery flower for themselves, but they weren't allowed. Eventually, after much research, the Flower Experts all met with Mr. Rock and the Fat Controller to tell them their findings.  
"It's a brand new Flower?" gasped Mr. Rock.  
"Blimey..." said the Fat Controller, and it certainly was blimey indeed as in the following days, a plaque was commissioned by Lady Hatt to commemorate the aptly-named Sodorus Flower. The plaque proudly hangs on Mr. Rock's office wall and the ceremony for the plaque was seen by as many engines as possible. Since then, the Quarry looks beautiful and none of the engines complain any more as the Sodorus Flower grows and grows and sticks around nearly all year. It is quite an amazing flower and no-one is happier of it than those at Centre Island Quarry.


	8. Murdoch's Mermaid

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Murdoch's Mermaid**

The sun glistens down on the Island of Sodor on a regular basis and it glistens nowhere more so than at Bluff's Cove. Surrounded by the lake, Bluff's Cove is an amazing looking place and for many engines it is just a pleasant place to pass through. As the sun shimmers on the water and glimmers against the rocks, Bluff's Cove looks truly amazing. It is also a perfect area for peace and quiet and for Murdoch, the big Freight Engine, this is why he loves the area so much.  
"Lovely and quiet! Lovely and quiet!" he would say everyday as he'd pass by. Murdoch's crew fully understood why he loved the area and whenever they could, they'd try and go there. "Lovely and quiet..." said Murdoch once again. "Lovely and quiet..."

It was another wonderfully sunny day on Sodor when once again Murdoch puffed through Bluff's Cove. He had many Freight loads with him, but he didn't care as he never seemingly struggled with heavy loads but most of all, the sight of Bluff's Cove made him forget about any weight he was carrying. Everything was going fine for Murdoch on this day and he was making good time, but suddenly, his driver and fireman noticed a problem.  
"You're losing water!" called Murdoch's driver.  
"And steam!" added the fireman.  
"Ooh..." groaned Murdoch. "I thought something wasn't exactly right." Murdoch was indeed in trouble as with lower water and steam levels he simply would stop moving. He was getting noticeably slower already and luckily a nearby signalman saw their issues and diverted them into a siding. When Murdoch and the Freight train came to a stop, Murdoch's pistons hissed loudly and a ringing noise began to erupt from him. No-one could work out what was wrong with him at all and soon a workmen was sent to look and fix Murdoch, but he was a good while away, so Murdoch's crew went away for an early lunch.  
"Oh well..." sighed Murdoch. "Atleast I can look at the peaceful scenery..." and indeed he could as the siding he was in was right next to the Bluff's Cove Lake and with the delightful sun, the water shimmered greatly. Suddenly, a deep whistle sounded and Murdoch looked to see that it was Henry.  
"Broken down?" he joked. "I know about that all too well..." he laughed. Soon, he was coupled upto Murdoch's Freight and was then to carry on down the line, but as the points switched to let Henry by, they jammed and Murdoch couldn't get out.  
"I'm stuck here?" said Murdoch surprised.  
"I'm afraid so..." said the signalman. "We can't get a workman here until late this Evening...I'm sorry, you'll just have to stay there..."  
"No problem..." replied Murdoch. "It's lovely and quiet here...lovely and quiet..."

Murdoch's crew were soon informed of the situation and would return later that day. Meanwhile, all Murdoch could do was admire Bluff's Cove, but he didn't mind that in the slightest. The glimmering and shimmering sun made Bluff's Cove even more beautiful than it normally was, but this meant that the heat was increasing with it too. Being painted orange made Murdoch a prime exhibit to the heat as it clambered onto him and made him hotter than he'd ever felt before, but he was coping fine compared to Donald and Douglas who were passing by.  
"Och! I'm Boiling! Dougie, are ye too?" said a sweltered Donald.  
"Aye!" replied Douglas. "Its on days like this that I wish we were painted another colour!" and with that, the exasperated Twins passed by more exhausted than Murdoch had ever seen them before. When he then resumed looking at Bluff's Cove, he was shocked with what he saw.  
"Mermaid!" he said. "It can't be!" Before Murdoch just across the lake on the rocks was what appeared to be a Mermaid. It was half-woman-half-fish and her extremely long, blonde hair glimmered in the sunlight. Murdoch quickly looked away and then quickly looked back to check that he wasn't seeing things, but when he looked back, no-one was there. Then, he heard a splash in the lake. It has obviously gone back into the water, but Murdoch was still in shock. "I've seen a Mermaid..." he said to himself sheepishly. "I've seen a Mermaid..."

The heat of the day kept on increasing and for many engines, the sweltering conditions were simply becoming unbearable. They all seemed to let their frustrations and anger at the heat let rip as they were passing Bluff's Cove, which in turn destroyed Murdoch's peace and quiet.  
"Oh, go away Sun! We don't need you!" said an angry Percy.  
"Silly, sizzling Sun..." slimed Diesel. "Sizzle off!"  
"Be rid of you Sun!" moaned Gordon, but it seemed to Murdoch and everyone else that the more everyone complained, the hotter it got. Murdoch felt hazy and dizzy at times, but he didn't care as he just kept on admiring the view.  
"Lovely and quiet..." he said once more, but as the heat intensified, Murdoch saw the Mermaid again, and again and again. "It's here, it's real!" he said shocked but no-one else was around to see it. When someone did come and join him for company, Murdoch seemingly couldn't see it.  
"Mermaid? Are you alright, Murdoch?" asked Thomas as he scoured the view but couldn't find anything.  
"Yes..." said Murdoch. "It's here, I've seen it!" but Thomas and others simply wouldn't believe him. Murdoch felt very annoyed, but he also liked the fact only he could see it as it was becoming a secret of his. When he was on his own, he would see the Mermaid in all her glory parading by the rocks, but as soon as he'd blink, she'd disappear right before him. The Mermaid was certainly becoming a strange thing indeed...

"Mermaid?" squealed James. "What are you on about?"  
"There's a Mermaid here...I've seen her..." protested Murdoch to James. He hoped she'd appear this time and to his amazement, she did. "Mermaid!" he shouted. "Over there!"  
"Where?" asked James. He looked all around the lake and then all of a sudden, he saw a tail, like that of a Mermaid's go into the lake. He was shocked.  
"I told you there was a Mermaid!" said Murdoch proudly.  
"You weren't wrong!" gasped James and he soon sped off. "Mermaid! Mermaid!" he wailed along his way, but as the day was fading quickly, no-one was really around, so the story simply didn't spread. Murdoch was thankful of this and was soon even more thankful when the workman arrived to fix him.  
"My, you've been waiting a while!" joked the workman and within no time he fixed the problem. It appeared to have been a leaky tube and it was mended with ease. He soon left, while Murdoch then waited for the other workman to arrive to fix the jammed points, but this was a long wait. While he waited, Murdoch saw the Mermaid once more, but she was closer than ever before. She was right infront of him!  
"Murdoch..." she said elegantly. "Murdoch..." and then she disappeared like she had done before. Murdoch was in shock. He simply couldn't believe it...

As night drew in, Murdoch had now seen the Mermaid many times and however many engine he told, they just simply wouldn't believe him. James had even stopped believing now, so Murdoch was all on his own once more. Soon, the points workman arrived and quickly got them mended, but Murdoch's crew weren't around, so he was on his own yet again, but he soon wasn't.  
"You like visiting me, don't you?" said Murdoch.  
"Ofcourse..." came the reply which belonged to the Mermaid and then she disappeared once more. Murdoch closed his eyes wishing she'd stop doing that but he was rudely interrupted by his crew.  
"What's this nonsense about a Mermaid?" joked his driver.  
"What?" asked Murdoch.  
"Mermaid..." said his fireman. "You've seen one apparently..."  
"I have!" protested Murdoch. "She's even spoken to Me!"  
"Really?" said his driver who didn't believe him one bit. He and his fireman soon got Murdoch all ready and then slowly set off and went back to Knapford Sheds, but as they left Bluff's Cove, Murdoch saw the Mermaid once more.  
"Goodbye..." she said and waved him off.  
"Goodbye..." muttered Murdoch to himself.

From now on, regardless of whether anyone believes him or not, Murdoch says hello to the Mermaid of Bluff's Cove. Its yet another reason as to why he loves the area so much and along with the peace, quiet and lots of sun, the Mermaid is a welcome addition. He is certain that whenever he passes by, he sees the Mermaid waving at him and then blowing a kiss at him. Murdoch gets easily embarrassed by that, but he doesn't mind at all. To him, the Mermaid is simply known as Murdoch's Mermaid, and she will always remain that way...


	9. The Christmas Fish

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**The Christmas Fish**

It was Christmastime on the Island of Sodor and preparations were in full swing ahead of the upcoming festivities. Everyone was seemingly busy as decorations were put in place and food was prepared for the big day. With the frost and snow returning, Gabby the gritting lorry once again returned to assure safety to all those travelling.  
"I'm a gritting...I'm a gritting...I'm a gritting the roads!" she sang to herself once again as she reveled in the joy of work as her bright orange beacon warned all of those around. It seemed that everyone was busy but they weren't. Those at the fishing village and those at the docks were less than overworked. Christmastime meant a surge in poultry and meat and a decline in fish sales and as a result, it made for a slow end to the year.  
"Why does no-one want any fish?" wondered the lead fishmonger, Mr. Addison to his colleagues as they saw Boxer the Butcher's van speed away filled to the brim with meat for the festivities. His brother, Transit was also busy helping in the Christmas build up as he was going all around delivering decorations and food to those who needed it most.  
"I've never been so busy, Boxer!" peeped Transit as he whizzed around.  
"Nor me!" agreed his brother.  
"Same can't be said for us though…" Mr. Addison muttered to himself.

As the preparations continued, those at Brendam Docks were beginning to notice a sizeable drop in work levels. Henry, Kennedy, Murdoch, Clark and Salty barely had anything to do in the current situation and soon the Fat Controller reassigned them to other duties immediately.  
"Henry!" he boomed. "You will be helping with the Christmas Express!"  
"Yes sir…" Henry agreed as soon everyone else was reassigned a duty. Kennedy was to help at the Foundry whilst Murdoch was given duty on the mountain routes and Clark was sent to the Quarry to assist those there. Salty was lucky and remained at the docks, but was put on hold as an emergency engine for other duty elsewhere.  
"Now I hope to see you all helping to the best of your abilities in your new temporary roles…" boomed the Fat Controller as everyone made their way. Salty just looked around the docks and saw that he was pretty much on his own. There were only Cranky and Old Misty around and Salty could tell neither of them were in the mood for a festive tale of old.  
"I best do some work or else I won't be needed here until the New Year…" Salty said under his breath.

Mr. Addison and his colleagues were still stuck with no work to do whatsoever as there was no need for fish at Christmas here on Sodor, but news soon broke of a problem to those wanting poultry and meat.  
"The animals have caught an infection. It seems to have spread around the whole Island…" said a Food Inspector to a News Reporter. "Those who already have bought poultry and meat are safe, but no-one else can now buy any until the stock is clear of infection." The news soon spread fast and was most damaging of all to Lady Hatt as she wanted the traditional Turkey for Christmas day.  
"Why couldn't you have bought ours in advance, Topham?" she asked indignantly to her husband at his office.  
"Because I thought today would be a little more appropriate…" he replied. Lady Hatt still didn't look happy.  
"If we can't have any chicken, turkey or meat, what are we supposed to have on Christmas day?" she then asked. "What will Stephen and Bridget think? We can't just serve them vegetables…" The Fat Controller pondered for a moment and then looked out of his window. There he could see on the frosty grounds men hard at work doing a job that they knew was not of any use. Those men were Mr. Addison and his crew and none of them had heard of the problems as of yet.  
"Jane…" boomed the Fat Controller with a broad smile. "Come over here…" he then commanded as his wife joined him at the window.  
"Topham, it's just some Fishmongers…." she remarked as she couldn't work out why she'd been beckoned over.  
"And what produce do Fishmongers have, exactly?" smiled the Fat Controller. It then dawned on Lady Hatt.  
"Oh…" she smiled.  
"Oh indeed…" agreed the Fat Controller. "Christmas is saved thanks to some fish…"

The road to Mr. Addison and his crew was extremely icy and the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt went extra careful as they let Gabby grit the road for them. She was doing an excellent job and the Fat Controller was glad she was a part of Sodor.  
"I'm a gritting...I'm a gritting...I'm a gritting the roads!" she sang yet again before she began to whistle the exact same tune. With her beacon flashing, it made Mr. Addison and his crew all stop as they then saw the ice blue car of the Fat Controller pull up.  
"Mr. Addison!" beamed the Fat Controller. "We need fish for our Christmas dinner and by the looks of things many others will too." he added as other cars began to pull up in the distance. They were all vying for Mr. Addison's attention and it soon just went into a shouting contest between families.  
"SILENCE!" then called Lady Hatt. She'd even surprised herself with the outburst but she soon allowed Mr. Addison to address everyone.  
"Hello…" he said nervously. "Now, I've only just become aware of the issue and it puts us in a tricky situation as we have no assistance to help us deal with this sudden increase in trade." The crowd all sighed and hoped something would be done. The Fat Controller and Lady Hatt were smiling though as they knew what could done.  
"Ahem…" cut in the Fat Controller. "Mr. Addison, you are aware that help can be brought in with near immediate effect with my position don't you?" Mr. Addison stuttered to reply and soon just nodded.  
"But why would you do that, sir?" he then eventually asked.  
"Because it's the festive season…" smiled the Fat Controller as snow began to fall all around.  
"It's the season of good-will…" added Lady Hatt as action was soon underway.

Henry, Kennedy, Murdoch and Clark were all immediately recalled from their temporary locations to rejoin Salty at the docks and the fishing village to help with the influx of fish. Arthur, who for the last few days had been resting with little work to do, was also back in action and very proud of it too.  
"Fish power!" he declared happily as he steamed along the fishing village.  
"Don't be so childish…" then called Elizabeth from nearby.  
"Why are you here?" Arthur asked.  
"I'm helping…" smiled Elizabeth as she set off to help deliver fish to those needing it the most. A great effort was put in by all as even Boxer and Transit were called in to help with the big push. Old Misty hadn't seen so much work in a long time and was glad that he wasn't at sea today as he doubted he would have coped with the high demand.  
"Come on….we're almost there!" smiled Mr. Addison as families were delivered fabulous fish for their festive feasts. There was such a variety for everyone with Bream, Cod, Salmon, Sea Bass and many more all caught from the seas of Sodor for the eating public. As the snow fell, Gabby continued to grit even harder for those on the roads whilst the dock-based engines all ploughed on regardless for their love of the sea and fish. Soon, the hard task was completed and the major influx of fish was all accounted for. Markets had bought in bulk to help with the demand and deliveries had also been made to those in hospitals and hospices over the holiday. Everyone seemed overjoyed and couldn't believe the effort that had been put in.  
"Well done to all…" smiled the Fat Controller.  
"We couldn't have done it without your railway…" said Mr. Addison as in the distance the faint singing of carolers was heard. Engines nearby soon joined in as did everyone else around. Even Gabby stopped gritting to join in. It was a spur of the moment thing, but everyone enjoyed it.

When Christmas day came, the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt were overjoyed to have their grandchildren over. Stephen and Bridget had heard of the poultry and meat problem but were still delighted to be with their grandparents.  
"It's sure to be great regardless of the problems…" smiled Stephen.  
"Possibly the best Christmas ever!" added Bridget as they all sat down for Christmas dinner. They weren't sure what fish was going to be served to them and they kept on guessing without success. Soon, Lady Hatt came in with the fish of the day.  
"Kippers?" the children exclaimed.  
"Well, what else would it be?" smiled the Fat Controller as they all tucked into their food. Outside, the snowfall became even heavier but those at the docks and fishing village didn't care as their love of fish made the day the best Christmas they'd had in many, many years. And as they eventually went home and the snowfall got heavier, there was one lone worker out on Christmas day.  
"I'm a gritting...I'm a gritting...I'm a gritting the roads!" they sang. Care to guess who it was?


	10. Austin the Amazing

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Austin the Amazing**

Petrol is a key resource on the Island of Sodor. Without it, many vehicles simply wouldn't function at all, and very often, in the middle of the night come the Petrol Deliveries. The precious Petrol arrives in very big Tanker Lorries that go about slowly around the Island to make sure everyone gets the Petrol they need, but on this night there was a problem. The Tankers that had arrived had a slight fracture in their cylinders. From this, the Petrol could leak out, but none of the Tanker drivers realised this until they arrived at their first stops to discover much of the Petrol had vanished without reason. It wasn't only Petrol Tankers around on this night aswell as there was an even bigger Oil Tanker Lorry. It had had an accident on the way to Sodor and that was making it leak too. So, when the Oil leaked out over the Petrol, it congealed and formed a sticky, sticky pathway that no-one could break through. Everyone was stuck...

As morning rose on Sodor; all the vehicles discovered that they simply couldn't make their way at all. Bertie, Agnes, Cordelia and Bulgy were all mystified at the Bus Depot as one by one they tried to get out, but couldn't as the road was a sticky mess.  
"What on earth has happened?" asked a puzzled Agnes, but no-one replied.  
"Stupid, sticky roads!" muttered Bulgy to himself. Everyone around the Island that used the roads was simply surprised at what they were seeing before them. Miss Jenny and the Pack couldn't leave the shed and even vehicles like Byron who use Caterpillar Tracks simply couldn't make their way through.  
"This is extremely serious!" boomed the Fat Controller in his office to the men who the Tankers belonged to. "You should know if your Tankers are not up to standard, and this is certainly a moment where they weren't!"  
"We're sorry..." apologised the men. "...but we can't do anything...if it has congealed like it has, you would have to wait until it freezes...and then it can be broken up..."  
"We're in the middle of hot spell..." retorted the Fat Controller. "A very, very hot spell..." he added as he mopped his brow with a handkerchief.  
"Well, then you're in a pickle..." replied one of the men as the Fat Controller pondered at what to do next...

In conditions like this, the engines were thriving and taking business away from all vehicles. Buses, Taxi's, Lorries, Vans and just general Cars were all affected and simply couldn't do a thing. One vehicle in particular affected by the sticky roads was Austin the Works Lorry. All the little bright green Lorry and his crew could do was simply look out from their Shed and complain.  
"Surely something can be done to solve this?" he asked to his driver.  
"Well, lad..." he began. "It's a tricky thing when stuff congeals like it has done...I'm not sure how it'll be solved..."  
"Well however it is, it will have to be done soon..." said Austin. "...otherwise the Sun will melt it into the road!"  
"We don't want that!" laughed his driver before he left to join up with the others.  
"Where are you going?" asked Austin.  
"Work..." replied his driver. "We can still do it, we've just got to walk instead!" he added before he and the several other crew all walked off with equipment in hand and wearing their bright orange reflective jackets so no-one could miss them. Austin was then left all on his own which gave him time to think through what possibly could be done to help stop the sticky roads lasting even longer. Up above in the air, he could hear Harold the Helicopter whooshing by with a big bucket attached to the bottom of him.  
"That's strange..." said Austin. "Why has he got a bucket on him?" but it soon became apparent why. In the distance, Austin could vaguely see trees on fire and Harold was presumably there to put the fire out with the bucket attached to him. He was relieved when he saw the fire go out and this then gave him an idea. "If water can get rid of fires, could it get rid of the sticky mess?" but no-one was around to hear his thoughts, so for now Austin had to keep the idea with himself.

Back at one of the main roads used on Sodor, the Fat Controller was angrily ordering the Tanker men about and made them think of ways to try and get rid of it. At first they tried smashing it with rocks but it was no use as the rocks simply stuck in.  
"This is going to be harder than we thought..." sighed one of the men.  
"Hmmm..." pondered the Fat Controller as the men then tried to scoop it away with shovels, but the shovels bent and broke and the sticky mess wasn't moving at all. "Hmmm..." pondered the Fat Controller once more. "This is definitely trickier than I first imagined it would be..."  
"We're running out of ideas..." then called one of the men as he stomped on the mixture, but his shoes got stuck and he couldn't move unless he got out of them.  
"Indeed..." agreed the Fat Controller as he was deep in thought thinking through any good ideas that could help solve the issue.

Meanwhile, Austin was now overjoyed to see his crew had returned. They didn't look too happy at all but smiled as soon as they saw Austin smiling widely.  
"I've...I've...got an i...idea!" shouted Austin eagerly.  
"An idea for what?" asked his driver.  
"An idea to get rid of the sticky roads!" replied Austin happily. "Why don't we just wash it away?"  
"Wash it?" said his driver. "I think they've already tried that..." Austin sighed as he thought his idea was quite a good one. His driver then thought it through and then called over a few of his other crew. "High-pressure Water, like the Fire Engines use, would that clear it?" he asked to some of them.  
"I think it could..." replied one. "I'll get the pressure pump right away..." and as soon as he went to get the pump, Austin smiled.  
"You see, it was a good idea!" he smiled.  
"Just wait and see..." said his driver. "Don't jump the gun yet!" he continued as the man came back with the pressure pump. He set it up quickly and as a Water began to whoosh out of it, the sticky congealed Oil and Petrol mixture began to move and part.  
"It's working!" smiled Austin. Everyone was amazed and just witnessed the mess on the road simply go away. Being directed into the nearby drains it allowed and freed up the entire road around Austin's shed.  
"I'll contact the Fat Controller right away!" smiled Austin's driver. "You clever Lorry! You've solved it!"

The Fat Controller was soon informed and he made his way to contacting to the Sodor Fire Brigade.  
"As high a pressure as possible!" demanded the Fat Controller on his office telephone.  
"If you say so, Sir!" replied the Fireman before he and his colleagues began to set the pressures up. At the highest they could possibly go, the Fire Engines hoses obliterated the sticky congealed mess on the roads and washed it away as quickly as they could. Jumping aboard their engines, the Firemen sprayed as much as they could as they went along. The fact it soon began to rain too made it much easier and it meant the Firemen had to use less water, but as all the main roads on Sodor were affected, it was going to take a while. Refilling the tanks occurred several times and this delayed all the roads being ready for use, but the ones that had been washed clean were immediately in use again.  
"Yippee!" cheered Agnes as she finally made her way around the roads again. "I can feel my wheels move once more!"  
"Miss Jenny!" called Byron. "We can work again!" he then cheered as he proudly maneuvered all around showing off the roads use.  
"Tis a brilliant sight!" she smiled. "Come on everyone!" she then called to the rest of the Pack. "Let's work!"  
"This is how it should be done..." said the Fat Controller proudly to himself before having a go at the Tanker men who hadn't helped in the slightest. "Now, unless you help, and I mean really help, I'm afraid we'll cease trading with one another from this very moment..."  
"But you can't..." replied one the men. "You're our best customer!"  
"I have other contacts!" smiled the Fat Controller. "And so does the Mayor! We can easily replace the people who bring our resources and no doubt at a much cheaper price!" he continued before leaving.  
"Where are you going?" quizzed one of the men.  
"To my car!" replied the Fat Controller. "I haven't used it all day! And it'll be nice to not keep walking everywhere!" he added as he walked cheerily out of sight.

By late Evening all, if not most of the roads of Sodor had been cleared of the stickiness that had been on them for several hours. The whole entire fleet of the Sodor Fire Brigade had been used and with their many high-pressure pumps got rid of the mess in no time at all. The Fat Controller, now is his trusty blue car zoomed over to Austin's shed to congratulate him and his workmen on thinking up the most amazing of ideas to solve the problem.  
"Austin!" he boomed. "You are simply amazing for thinking up this! I certainly would never have thought of it, and I doubt many others would too!"  
"Why thank you, Sir..." said Austin who was completely astonished and overcome by the praise. The Fat Controller could only smile.  
"Amazing Austin..." he said.  
"How about Austin the Amazing?" then suggested Austin. "I think it has a better ring to it!"  
"Indeed it does..." agreed the Fat Controller. "Austin the Amazing it is!" and from that day, Austin is still labelled with that nickname. Whenever he sees the newer, more reliable Tankers bringing in Oil and Petrol, he and everyone else is just reminded of the time when no-one could move. That was until Austin the Amazing intervened and made everyone happy once more!


	11. Skip the Skip

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Skip the Skip**

Keeley Morgan and her workshop have now been up and running for business for a good few months and in that time she has built up a creditable reputation. She is best known for zooming around on her Scooter around the Island of Sodor completing as many new projects as possible. She works closely with Miss Jenny and the Fat Controller, but she is also very independent. So she is so independent that she has a huge number of suppliers working for her, all of which she organised to get on her own. However, as time has progressed, Keeley's suppliers have got less and less reliable. They often don't provide her with what she wants and often they provide too much of one thing or another. She has so much surplus materials that her workshop and surrounding yard are filled to the brim.  
"I can't do anything!" she said as she pushed her way through the surplus materials to get to her office. "That's it!" she then said furiously. "I need a Skip! A very big one!"

Later that day, Keeley got onboard her shiny Scooter and zoomed away to see Davey Williams, the owner of Sodor's Skipyard. As she zoomed along Sodor's winding and beautiful roads, Keeley again began to love her life on Sodor, but she tried not to think about the mess at her yard as she didn't want to get angry, especially when on her Scooter. Soon, she arrived at the Skipyard and immediately saw that there was very little around.  
"Strange..." she said to herself. Usually, the Skipyard is full of rubbish and many Skips, but today there was barely anything. It was very odd indeed. Then, from out of his office came Davey.  
"Keeley!" he beamed. "What brings you here?"  
"I need a Skip..." she replied simply. "My suppliers are idiots at times and my yard is full to the brim with surplus materials...I've tried to give them away, but no-one wants them!"  
"No-one at all?" asked a puzzled Davey.  
"No-one..." confirmed Keeley. "It's bizarre..." she continued as she then looked around the Skipyard. "Davey, where is everything? There's less here than normal for sure..."  
"Ah...I'm moving! A couple of days' time I open my new Yard!" clarified Davey. "I'm going to be the owner of the biggest Skipyard ever on Sodor!"  
"Good for you..." smiled Keeley. "...but I need a Skip..."  
"Oh..." sighed Davey. "All the best one's are in storage...there's only one left...it's a bit rusty..." he then continued as he pointed to the only remaining Skip in the yard. It was definitely rusty and had most certainly seen better days. Keeley didn't look impressed at all. She wanted a sturdy Skip, a brand new one, one that she could trust and the one in the Skipyard certainly didn't fit her requirements.  
"I think I'll pass on that one Davey if I'm honest..." Keeley eventually remarked. "I'll pop by at your new Yard in a couple of days and see you then!"  
"If you insist!" smiled Davey before heading off into his office. Keeley then put her helmet back on and soon zoomed off once again.

A couple of days later, Keeley ploughed through the surplus materials at her Yard and once again proceeded over to her Scooter where she was to go to Davey's new Skipyard. Now that he'd moved, the journey time was a lot shorter and for Keeley this was good news as she doesn't like to spend a lot of money on Petrol! When she arrived, she saw the new Yard was much cleaner than the last and much, much bigger.  
"My...you've done well, Davey..." she said to herself as she got off her Scooter. She then went on a look-round for Davey but couldn't find him anywhere. There were containers presumably holding the skips all around but Davey wasn't to be seen. All Keeley could find apart from Skips and Davey's office was a lonesome Skip Van.  
"Hello..." it said cheerily. "Can I help?"  
"I've never seen you around before..." remarked Keeley. "Who are you?"  
"I'm Skip..." replied the Van.  
"Skip the Skip Van?" smiled Keeley. "Highly original..." she then said to herself. Skip was a very grubby Van. His windscreen was completely dirty and he was rusting everywhere. She assumed he was painted white but it had discoloured so badly she wasn't sure at all.  
"Did you come for something in particular?" then asked Skip.  
"Yes..." replied Keeley. "I need _a_ skip...not you, Skip, just a skip...I imagine you can tell Davey that when he comes back..."  
"Oh indeed..." smiled Skip. "I'll tell him as soon as he's back!"  
"Good..." replied Keeley before setting off once more. As she left, Skip suddenly got confused.  
"She wanted me, Skip, not _a _skip..." he said to himself. "I'm sure that's right..."

That afternoon, Keeley was moving as much of the surplus materials around into piles as she could before her back ached. Then, suddenly she heard a beeping noise. She looked round and there was Davey driving Skip into her yard. Skip had no skip on him at all and Keeley was confused.  
"Why haven't you brought a Skip?" she asked.  
"Skip said you wanted him, not _a_ skip..." replied Davey. "He doesn't get confused too often..."  
"Well obviously he has!" retorted Keeley angrily. She couldn't quite believe what had happened. Skip at the time seemingly knew what he was told, but obviously he hadn't. Without a Skip, Keeley was nowhere nearer getting her Yard clear and then Skip suddenly spluttered loudly.  
"Oh dear..." he said. "It's happening again, Davey!"  
"What's wrong?" asked Keeley.  
"He's conked out!" replied Davey. "He won't be working again all day...sorry..." Keeley wasn't best pleased at all. Now she had a Skip Van without a skip in her already messy yard. If an Inspector came at this very moment, which they could do, Keeley without a doubt would fail.  
"Davey, are you going to get me a Skip or not?" Keeley then asked sighing loudly.  
"I can try..." he said. "The skips are locked away and I don't have the keys...the Contractors do..."  
"Why?" asked Keeley.  
"Because they can be idiots, just like your Suppliers..." smiled Davey. "It's going to take a couple of days to get them over here..."  
"A couple of days!" said Keeley. "That's not good enough! I've got to clear this on my own then!"  
"I would help..." said Davey. "...but I've got a Business to run..." he said as then began to make his way back. Keeley was no all on her own to go and clear up the piling mess that was before her.

Over the next couple of days, Keeley and her Scooter made many numerous trips. She had to stop all other work and this would cost Keeley money, money that she simply could not afford to lose, but with Davey busy she was all on her own. Bit by bit she loaded up as much as she could and then ventured out over to the Rubbish Lount to chuck it all away. Even when Bruno the Bin Lorry passed by her yard he couldn't do a thing.  
"They won't fit inside!" boomed Bruno. "Sorry Miss Morgan..."  
"No problem..." sighed Keeley. "I'll have to cope as I am..." she added as she zoomed off once more. The Lount was a good way away and Keeley and her Scooter were getting bored of the journey. Davey did come round to help a bit, but was soon dragged away on business calls. Keeley was managing but was annoyed that Skip simply wouldn't work. She tried as often as she could to get his engine working, but it was no use.  
"I've conked out!" smiled Skip. "You can't do anything about it, sorry..." Keeley could only sigh but soon enough, the mess was cleared. All that was left was Skip and Keeley just celebrated to herself.  
"Thank goodness..." she sighed but soon she heard a beeping noise and there came Davey in another Skip Van with a Skip attached this time!  
"It seems I'm a bit late..." he sighed.  
"Just a tad..." smiled Keeley. "Never mind...it's the thought that counts..."  
"Well, I think you can keep this one for good...just in case it happens again..." said Davey. "It's the least I can do for a good friend..."

A few days later and Keeley had regained all the money she had lost previously to clearing her yard and is now happy to see her yard clear and clean once more. Davey even brought another skip for Keeley so she now has two resplendent ones sitting proudly there. In return, Keeley even got Skip working once more and even gave him a thorough clean down. He looked almost brand new and Davey was pleasantly surprised to see him like he was. Keeley was happy, Davey was happy, but Skip didn't care at all. He just stayed around the yard being as lazy as ever!


	12. Pizza Sam

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Pizza Sam**

Mr. Savino is a proud Café owner on the Island of Sodor. He is so proud that he is now opening a new Pizza Shop on the Island too in honour of his Italian heritage and his late Mother's grand Pizza recipes. The Pizzeria was to be opened on the Narrow Gauge Railway and Mr. Percival; the Thin Controller thought it would be a great idea for all of his engines to help at some point in the build-up to the Pizzeria's grand opening. Peter Sam appeared to be the most excited of all the Narrow Gauge engines and he wanted to be the engine who took Mr. Savino and his family to the grand opening in the special carriages reserved for great occasions.  
"As if you're going to be the one who takes Mr. Savino!" spluttered Duncan. "It's obviously going to be me!"  
"We'll see…" said Peter Sam. "We'll see…"

The next day at the Wharf, Colin the Crane was unloading materials for the Pizzeria's furnishings. They included chairs, tables and the Pizza ovens and they were all very heavy.  
"Ooh..." Colin groaned. "This isn't as easy as I expected." he added as workmen firmly attached the boxes of materials onto Skarloey and Rheneas' flatbed trains. They tooted their whistles as they took the materials away while the construction men would help build Mr. Savino's dream and make it a reality.  
"Marvellous!" he said grandly as he looked on at the construction. "Mama would be proud!"  
"I'm sure she would…" agreed his Wife. Meanwhile as the construction continued, it did appear that all the engines were helping in some form or another. Sir Handel was busy taking cement to the construction site, June was taking the construction men to and from the build in the day and at night, Rusty and Neil were helping get slate for the Pizzeria's roof, Duncan was in charge of getting the painters and decorators whilst MightyMac and Freddie were helping with getting the right produce for the big day itself. Mr. Savino was planning to make and sell as many pizza's as he could on the opening day to the make it a day to really remember. In all of the frenzy of preparation though, three engines were without work. Duke, Bertrum and Peter Sam seemingly didn't have anything to do. Mr. Percival hoped to change that.  
"With the opening fast approaching…" he boomed. "Duke and Bertrum, I expect both of you to help bring guests from all over our railway to the opening. And as you are both old engines, I do not expect too much work in the meantime."  
"Thank you, sir…" they both chimed happily.  
"Sir, what about me?" Peter Sam then asked. Mr. Percival then looked at Peter Sam and was clearly struggling to think of a duty to give him.  
"Erm…" he deliberated. "Why not go and help Freddie and MightyMac! I'm sure they could do with an extra engine!" Peter Sam was happy and immediately set off.

When he caught up with Freddie and MightyMac, Peter Sam was surprised to see that they were coping very well. They had trucks full of ingredients to make a wide variety of scrumptious pizzas. One produce van was filled with very red ripe tomatoes, another filled with plenty of cheese. There was one with peppers and one with ingredients for the perfect pizza dough. Peter Sam really wanted to help out now. He didn't care if he didn't get to take Mr. Savino now; he just wanted some involvement with the brilliant food.  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" he beamed brightly.  
"I don't think so…" smiled Freddie. "Were all coping fine."  
"Are you sure?" asked Peter Sam. "Those produce vans sure look heavy."  
"They're not…" insisted Mighty.  
"Quite light really…" called Mac. Peter Sam wasn't happy at all. He really wanted to help out with all the produce for the pizzas and was determined to make a good impression. He then began to think what other ingredients he could fetch that could go in pizzas.  
"Hmm…" he thought. "Pineapples? Pepperoni? Chicken? They all sound yummy but can I get them?" Peter Sam soon went off in search of the other ingredients as he thought he could make the day even more special.

Peter Sam soon arrived at a farmer's field and asked about if he had any pineapples.  
"Oh no!" the farmer replied. "No-one grows them on Sodor. It's not warm enough! They get delivered in at the Docks."  
"Well what about pepperoni?" Peter Sam asked knowing that it was a stupid question.  
"Are you wasting my time or something?" the farmer then asked impatiently. Peter Sam felt silly but asked about the chickens and explained everything.  
"It's for Mr. Savino!" Peter Sam smiled. "I'm trying to make the opening as special as possible!"  
"Very well then…" conceded the farmer who allowed Peter Sam to take some of his chickens once he'd gotten an appropriate truck for them. Once that was got, Peter Sam carried on and then went to get some pineapples and some pepperoni, although he wasn't sure how.  
"Maybe the Butchers will have some pepperoni?" he wondered.  
"Good idea…" his driver smiled. As soon as they got as close as they could, Peter Sam's driver spoke with a Butcher who did indeed have some pepperoni lined up for Mr. Savino. With that collected, all Peter Sam now had to do was get some pineapples but he didn't where he could get them. So for the time being, he set off with his chickens and pepperoni to the site of the Pizzeria. On the way, Peter Sam noticed Kuffy the Clown in his Clown Car making his way. Peter Sam tooted his whistle and Kuffy just waved at him.  
"Hello!" he called out before he hit his car horn which as expected made a very funny noise. Peter Sam was happy but was still in search of pineapples…

As Peter Sam neared the Pizzeria which was now fully constructed and being decorated on the inside, he could see Mr. Savino outside trying to make a Pizza. He appeared to be struggling.  
"Mama wouldn't be happy if she saw me like this!" he said to himself as he battled with the pizza oven which was extremely hot. Peter Sam was just about to pass him by and tooted his whistle happily but that had surprised Mr. Savino who hadn't seen Peter Sam coming at all. It surprised him so much that the pizza he had on his elongated pizza tray flicked up into the air and sent the pizza on it tumbling. Peter Sam looked on in horror as the pizza then landed on his boiler and he immediately came to a stop. Pizza was dripping all down his body. Cheese, tomatoes and the dough were all splattered over him.  
"Oh no…" Peter Sam cried. "Look at me…"  
"I'm so sorry!" apologised Mr. Savino. "I didn't see you!"  
"I can tell!" retorted Peter Sam. "And here was me trying to help you."  
"I am sorry Peter Sam…" said Mr. Savino glumly. "Or would Pizza Sam be more appropriate now?" he then chuckled. Peter Sam's driver and fireman chuckled too.  
"Ha indeed!" said Peter Sam sarcastically. "I really am laughing…" he added as he then saw Freddie and MightyMac coming into view. They were delivering the last lot of produce to the Pizzeria and as soon as they saw Peter Sam, or Pizza Sam's problem, they burst out laughing.  
"Well, that's certainly something!" smiled Freddie. "In all my days I've never seen an engine be one colour on one side and a different one of the other."  
"He's like some red and green peppers!" smiled Mighty. Peter Sam felt embarrassed as he knew he couldn't have a wash-down until later on. His cheeks then went bright red and he whooshed steam to hide himself from everyone else as they carried on laughing.

That evening at the wash-down, Madge the Snub-nosed lorry passed by and couldn't help but laugh at Peter Sam's predicament.  
"Remember to wash behind your buffers, Peter Sam!" she smiled as she zoomed away.  
"Yeah, very funny…" Peter Sam sulked as the embarrassment hadn't faded away. Duncan then pulled up beside Peter Sam and laughed too.  
"Fancy that, Pizza Sam! Ha! It's the funniest thing ever!" he chortled.  
"Happy then, I gather?" asked Peter Sam sarcastically.  
"Oh yes!" smiled Duncan. "Mr. Percival says I can take Mr. Savino and his family to the grand opening in the special carriages!" Peter Sam felt even worse. That was the job he had wanted to do and now he couldn't even do that and the smell of the pizza wouldn't go away however hard the washmen tried to get rid of it.

When the grand opening came a few days later, all the engines were invited and looked splendid. Peter Sam was back to normal now and the smell of pizza had gone but no-one could forget the sight of him after the incident. With a big flourish, the grand opening got under way but no-one knew what the Pizzeria was going to be called. Some thought it would be named after Mr. Savino or after his late Mother, but everyone was pleasantly surprised.  
"Everyone…" Mr. Savino announced proudly. "I give you Mr. Savino's Pizza Sam Pizzeria!" Peter Sam was shocked. There, before him was a pizzeria named after him, well almost.  
"You canny be serious!" tooted Duncan. "What a stupid name…" he then muttered to himself.  
"I think it's a grand name!" said Mighty.  
"Very appropriate!" added Mac. **  
**"But brilliant nonetheless!" smiled Freddie. "What do you think, Peter Sam?" he then asked.  
"It's wonderful!" Peter Sam smiled as Mr. Savino and the crowds cheered as the grand opening got under way and was sure to be a grand success!


	13. Gorgeous George

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Gorgeous George**

It was a bright sunny afternoon on the Island of Sodor and George the Steamroller was in an unsurprising bad mood. Ranger the Roadroller was blocking his way and he was not in the mood to wait.  
"Move you inferior thing!" George called out rudely. Ranger just simply ignored him and seemingly went along even slower with his duty. The pair of them were both resurfacing a long stretch of road and extra help had now even been called in from the Pack in the form of Buster the Steamroller.  
"Hello!" Buster beamed brightly. "I'm sure we'll all be able to get along and work well. We are all in this for the same aim, so let's get on with it!" he added as he went on to start his duty. Ranger agreed with Buster but George still wasn't happy in the slightest and grumbled on for the next few hours.

That evening, when everyone was done for the day, the three rollers returned to their overnight hub where Thumper the drilling machine was trying to get some sleep.  
"Just my luck…" he gruffed to himself. "Three steamrollers in my overnight hub. How fun!"  
"I think you'll find you mean two steamrollers and one roadroller…" corrected Ranger grandly. George just huffed indignantly whilst Buster smiled as wide as he normally does. Thumper could immediately see a lot of tension between the three rollers and wanted it to go away so he could get some sleep.  
"What's the problem here then?" he asked. "There's no point in denying it as I can see you three don't get along!"  
"He is just a bossy roller!" exclaimed George as he looked at Ranger.  
"And he is just an arrogant, mean steam machine!" retorted Ranger as he looked on at George. Buster seemingly didn't have any problems.  
"They just don't get along…" he then said simply.  
"Is that it?" Thumper asked. "Well there's no need for it!" he added as George and Ranger began to argue. Both Buster and Thumper just waited until it ended.  
"I think you'll find I'm the better roller by far!" declared Ranger.  
"Pah!" sniffed George. "I've been on Sodor the longest and therefore I'm the best!" and as the pair of them continued to argue, Buster eventually just cut in.  
"Oh please be quiet!" he said. George and Ranger then fell silent as Buster carried on. "I think you'll find I'm actually the best roller around…" he smiled. Buster was joking but George and Ranger thought he was being serious and the argument continued. Thumper looked exhausted by the end of it and just kindly wished all three of them were elsewhere for the night, but that wouldn't happen.  
"Why don't you just have a competition to see who's the best then?" Thumper suggested sleepily. He wasn't thinking things through and rather regretted suggesting it immediately. George, Ranger and Buster all smiled at the thought of a contest.  
"What should it be on though?" thought Buster. "The hardest worker?"  
"The strongest!" gruffed George.  
"The best looking?" smiled Ranger. "I think we can all equally compete in that one atleast." George and Buster agreed. Thumper sighed with relief as it now meant he could get some sleep.

When morning came, the three rollers put aside their work as they all had a day off as materials hadn't arrived and so spent the day looking as pristine as possible. They'd all informed their drivers and they were happy to join in with the competition. George was getting a proper cleaning – something he'd not had in many years. Ranger was having some of his finer details painted over again so he looked his best whilst Buster, who wasn't interested in winning at all just spent his day happily going around wherever he could.  
"There's no need to be pretty and clean!" he smiled to the others. "Usefulness before cleanliness!" he added brightly.  
"Well you won't win that way!" George called out.  
"I don't care!" Buster replied as he set off a jaunty journey. Today, Sodor just looked as lovely as ever and Buster didn't seem to care at all. He even splashed his way through a muddy puddle and loved the splatter of mud against his body. His driver didn't care either and they both just carried on. They rather hoped the others would follow suit, but it was never likely to happen.

Ranger was now in the middle of getting his roller repainted. It had needed doing for some time but now it just felt right.  
"I am definitely going to win!" he said boastfully. George was looking on disdainfully.  
"You think a brand new painted roller is going to win you the competition?" he asked. "Well, you do have something wrong with you then! We all know it's about how we look as a whole, not just our roller!"  
"And since when have you cared so much about how you look?" Ranger sneered.  
"Since you came to Sodor!" George replied. "I've never liked you and by winning this, it will show how much better than you I am!" Ranger just laughed and soon George was off to relax in the sun. Ranger's driver though soon discovered a problem.  
"This paint isn't drying…" he said. "I put that on an hour ago and it's still wet!"  
"Well do something about it!" Ranger snapped angrily but his driver couldn't do a thing. Soon, they'd have to drive to the meeting place of the competition and at this rate; Ranger simply could not get there.  
"Hmm…" thought his driver. "We'll see if a quick drive will dry it off!" but it didn't work as splodges of wet paint went all over the road.  
"Oh no!" cried Ranger as pebbles and stones all got stuck to the wet paint on his roller. His driver tried to get them off but it was no use. Ranger was stuck as he was. "I'm not going to win like this am I?" he then said to himself sadly.

Meanwhile George was happily enjoying himself as he made his way to the meeting place but he didn't know that ahead there had been an accident with some diesel barrels. Some had leaked all over the road and when George found out, he slipped and he slided all over the place until his roller lost all traction and he began to tilt onto his side. His driver jumped clear as George fell sideways onto a low tree. The impact caused a beehive to drop on top of him and honey splattered all over him. Leaves that fell from the impact just got stuck to the honey and George didn't look like George at all.  
"Urgh!" he cried. "I don't like honey!"  
"That's a shame…" laughed his driver. "I think it's marvellous on toast!" but George wasn't in the mood for laughs at all and soon helped arrived to put him the right way up. Luckily he wasn't damaged and his driver carried him on to the meeting place.  
"You can't take me there!" George pleaded. "I'm a mess!"  
"There are wash facilities there…" his driver pointed out. "We'll see what we can do…"

However, when George arrived at the meeting place both Buster and Ranger were already there. Buster, although not spruced up looked the cleanest of them all. George wasn't though and as he steamed into view, Ranger just burst out laughing.  
"Blimey, you've gone to some effort here, George!" he laughed. "Or should I say, Gorgeous George?"  
"Oh shut up…" George called back. He then looked over Ranger and saw the mess his roller was in. "You're not looking to good either, really…" he then pointed out as Ranger's roller was covered in dust, rocks and even some shrubbery.  
"There was an oversight in the paint department…" Ranger said to defend himself.  
"Oh, of course!" laughed Buster. "That's what it was!" he then smiled as Thumper arrived as the judge of the competition.  
"My, my…" he said. "You all look….._different_…" he added as his driver then got out the specially made rosette for the contest. George and Ranger didn't believe they could possibly now win at all as Buster was the cleanest of them all. They didn't think they had a chance whatsoever, but what they didn't know what that Buster had already asked Thumper earlier on to give the prize out to who he thought deserved it the most.  
"And the winner is…" began Thumper. "…Gorgeous George and Regal Ranger!" George and Ranger couldn't believe it and both cheered with delight before realising the award was shared. A short awkward silence then fell.  
"I don't want to share it with him!" George sneered.  
"Nor do I!" declared Ranger. Buster and Thumper weren't that surprised really and as George and Ranger began yet another argument. They just sighed wondering whether the competition had solved any problems at all. It didn't look like it in the slightest…


	14. Allegra's All Left

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Allegra's All Left**

Allegra is a Morris J-Type van who has come to the Island of Sodor after work dried up in her old home town on the Mainland. She has a very set way of doing work which she and her driver have been in for many, many years. Allegra hopes her system would spread around the Island and everyone would work to her way as she thought she was best. As she arrived at the market for her first duty of the day, she came across Paul the Police car.  
"Ello, 'ello, 'ello!" beamed Paul brightly. "I've not seen you around before."  
"Well I'm new…" Allegra quickly replied. She wasn't really concentrating on Paul at all and was hoping the marketers would load her up a lot quicker. The boxes of ripe plums were being loaded as quickly as possible, but for Allegra it wasn't quick enough. People on the Mainland knew what speed they had to load for her, but here they didn't know and Allegra wasn't with this.  
"Well I hope you have a good time here on Sodor…" continued Paul politely. "But I best be off!" he added as zoomed away on patrol. Allegra seemingly didn't care and as soon as she was fully loaded, she rushed away.

A little later on when Allegra was refilling with fuel, Madge the snub-nosed lorry was next to her.  
"You must be the new delivery van!" she smiled. "First days are always fun!" she added.  
"If you say so…" Allegra snooted.  
"Do you have any certain ways of working?" Madge then asked. "If not, I could give you some pointers…" Allegra did not like the sound of that.  
"Pointers? For me?" she said. "No dear….I have my own system…" she then said grandly.  
"And what's that?" asked Madge.  
"I keep going left on whatever road I'm on until I reach my destination." Allegra smiled knowing her system was brilliant, but Madge seemed less than convinced.  
"But what if you need to go right?" Madge said. "Surely going right would be easier?"  
"If you keep going left you soon go right…" Allegra retorted angrily. Madge still didn't seem at all convinced.  
"Well where have you got to go then?" she then asked.  
"A place called Brendam Docks…" Allegra answered snootily. Madge knew that to get to Brendam Docks you must turn right, not left but for the sake of not agitating Allegra anymore, she didn't say. Allegra soon went away and beeped her horn loudly as she left the filling station. She immediately took the next left and Madge was concerned.  
"She is going to struggle here…" Madge said to herself.

Allegra meanwhile was happily enjoying the roads of Sodor, well only the roads that led to going left of course. She'd always had a thing for not going right but in a new mysterious place, Allegra was seemingly getting lost. Whenever there was an option to turn left, Allegra took it and carried on cheerily but if she continued to abide by her system, she would never reach Brendam Docks as they were going in the opposite direction.  
"Were making good time!" smiled Allegra's driver as they zoomed along the roads. The sun shined down on the day and Allegra's biscuit coloured paint glimmered nicely against her black wheels and arches.  
"Ooh, another left turn!" she smiled widely as her driver complied with the system but the more and more she kept turning left, Allegra was going even further away from Brendam Docks. The plums were ripe as it stood but if she kept on continuing to turn left, they'd go off before she'd ever reach her destination. Her driver though soon pulled over to check their progress on a map.  
"Right, so were heading for Brendam Docks…" he said as he unfolded the map. "And where are we currently, Allegra?" he then asked. Allegra looked around and saw signs for an art gallery but nothing else. She peered around but found nothing to show the docks were nearby.  
"Erm…" she deliberated. "I'm not quite sure but a left turn will correct it I imagine." Her driver agreed and soon they carried on and turned left at the next available option. They were getting nowhere near the docks at all and the plums simply wouldn't last forever…

Soon, Allegra and her driver came across some traffic lights and as they went to red, her driver took it as another chance to check progress on his map. Allegra was impatiently waiting and soon Madge pull up beside her at the lights.  
"Oh, did you deliver the plums then?" Madge asked as they were absolutely nowhere near the docks at present. Allegra didn't immediately reply.  
"Were getting along with them…" she eventually admitted. Madge was shocked.  
"You haven't delivered them?" she said. "How long are you planning to take with them?" Allegra didn't reply and soon Paul the Police car pulled up behind them at the lights.  
"Ello, 'ello, 'ello…" he chimed once again. "How are we all?"  
"Fine…" said Allegra quickly.  
"Well I am..." Madge added. "But Allegra over here is in a problem. She's meant to be delivering plums to Brendam Docks and she's a bit lost…"  
"Ooh! You're definitely lost here then!" Paul said.  
"I am not lost!" protested Allegra.  
"Well the easiest way to correct it is by going right at these lights and carry on for a good while." Paul then said. Allegra didn't like the sound of it at all and it didn't fit into her system.  
"Thanks for the help…" she said indignantly. "But I'm going left…" and as the lights changed to green, Allegra zoomed off. Paul and Madge couldn't believe it and were rightly shocked.  
"She's going too fast!" Madge said.  
"I'm going to keep an eye on her!" Paul said bravely as he pursued after her. Madge soon followed behind as the chase for Allegra began…

Allegra was still going too fast as both she and her driver had finally realised their mistake. They were going the wrong way but seemingly didn't care.  
"We'll make it this way eventually…" Allegra spouted as she increased her speed. Further down the road, Paul had now put his sirens on to clear the road so he could just catch up. Cars and lorries parted the way as Paul's sirens blurted out loudly. He soon caught sight of Allegra in the distance as yet again she took another left turn.  
"Stop!" called Paul but it was no use. As the chase continued and as Allegra picked up more speed, she began to lift as she rounded corners. She found it quite fun.  
"Wooo!" Allegra smiled as she titled around the bends. Paul was now struggling to keep up and with his sirens still sounding loudly, Allegra seemingly wouldn't stop. Madge called from afar to calm her down.  
"You've not done anything wrong!" she cried. "But please just stop!"  
"Pah!" Allegra snorted as she rounded another bend, but this time she was going too fast and as she titled into the air, she titled too far and crashed onto her side. "Waahhh!" cried Allegra as she smashed to the road with a loud thud. Plums smashed and squelched all inside of her as she felt dizzy from the fall. Paul and Madge soon caught up at the scene of the accident. "I've been very silly haven't I?" Allegra then asked as Paul and Madge looked on unimpressed at her.

When Butch the breakdown vehicle came to take Allegra away, there was the stern looking face of a businessman in front of her. It was the Fat Controller and he was definitely not happy.  
"Allegra…" he boomed angrily. "You have wrecked a delivery of important plums to the Mainland from our docks. The dock manager is unimpressed with you, as am I. You've caused more than just confusion and delay; you have caused problems that we never expected from you. Your record at your old town was superb, so what's happened here?" he then asked angrily.  
"No-one appreciates my system sir…" Allegra said pathetically.  
"She always goes left, sir…" Madge explained. "Never right…" The Fat Controller just sighed and let Butch take her away as he contemplated what to do next...

A few days later when Allegra and her driver recovered, they received a letter through from the Fat Controller saying their services were no longer needed if this system was to remain. Her driver felt awful but Allegra didn't care.  
"My system works…" she said adamantly. "Just not here obviously!" Her driver couldn't believe Allegra's arrogance but he took the letter very seriously and later that day, Allegra headed back to the Mainland making sure she took every available left possible along the way. She'd left quite an impression on Sodor and was most certainly not someone who'd have a fond return.  
"Only going left was never the right thing to do…" muttered the Fat Controller to himself later the day. "Allegra was never right for us…"


	15. Gabby's Frosted Family

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Gabby's Frosted Family**

It was Christmas Eve on the Island of Sodor and snow was falling down in a beautiful manner. People were doing their shopping despite the cold weather and vehicles and trains were all huddled inside to keep as warm as possible. There was one vehicle though stuck outside in the less than nice conditions as Gabby the gritting lorry was back on loan to Sodor once again to clear the roads and make pathways for those travelling to others during the festivities.  
"I'm a gritting, I'm a gritting, I'm a gritting the roads!" she sang brightly once again as she trundled along winding roads ensuring they were easy to pass through. Despite being pretty much on her own on the roads, Gabby didn't once feel lonely and just kept singing and whistling as much as she could to keep her and her driver occupied through the job. The heavy snow and ice this year meant she was out for even longer than normal and even though she didn't feel the cold, Gabby's face was extremely blue when she got back to her shed for the night.  
"To think," said her driver as he got out of the cab. "In just a few hours, we'll be back out there as it's going to freeze over fast."  
"Hmmm…." agreed Gabby. "It freezes far too fast!" she added sleepily as she got some much needed rest.

A few hours later, Gabby's driver was back and the pair set off once again. With a snow plough attached and the grit stocked up, Gabby fought against the bitter cold to do her job. Even though it was the early hours of the morning, she could see Christmas lights twinkling brightly on trees and on houses as the big day of festive cheer was nearing. In the distance she could see engines braving the cold as they finished their shifts or just began them as the chilly air lingered about. Gritting station car parks was one of Gabby's duties and soon whilst gritting, she saw Toby and Henrietta pull in at the station.  
"Hello…" said Toby with a tiny shiver. "Just a tad cold, isn't it?"  
"This is quite warm compared to some nights…" smiled Gabby. Henrietta though wasn't agreeing and nor was her passenger.  
"It's bitterly cold…" scoffed Henrietta.  
"Far too cold!" shivered the passenger. A station porter soon guided her away to a taxi and it wasn't long before she was out of sight altogether. Gabby was puzzled.  
"Who was that?" she asked.  
"That," began Toby. "…was the Fat Controller's mother. She's come to stay over Christmas."  
"That is lovely." smiled Gabby. "It's a shame I don't have any family like that."  
"You're on Sodor often enough, so you can treat us all as family." said Toby. "I don't get why you're not here permanently anywhere. You really are useful."  
"This weather is only here at this time of year though, isn't it?" replied Gabby. "Unless there were freak frosts in summer and ice everywhere, I wouldn't be needed. I enjoy my time here though." she added.  
"G…g…good to hear..." shivered Henrietta. "Can we go now?" she then asked impatiently. Toby just smiled as did Gabby.  
"See you round soon, I suppose!" he said as he chuffed away.  
"Goodbye!" smiled Gabby. Soon though the station fell quiet and Gabby began to feel alone. Even the whistling and singing between her and her driver wasn't helping. "Everyone has some friends or family at Christmas," she said. "I don't…" she added as carried on gritting.

By morning, another new load of snow had fallen and ice was all around. Children were outside playing while parents looked on anxiously hoping they wouldn't injure themselves. At Topham Hall, the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt had their grandchildren over for the festivities again and were all having a great time together.  
"It's lovely to be spending Christmas together…" smiled Lady Hatt warmly as they all ate breakfast together that morning.  
"Indeed…" agreed the Fat Controller. "It will be made even better when we go to see my mother later today."  
"Why isn't she here now?" asked Stephen.  
"She's staying in our little country cottage. She arrived in the night so it's only fair she got some rest of her own. We'll be having Christmas dinner with her there."  
"Oh good!" smiled Bridget. "Great grandma is so much fun!"  
"I am too, aren't I?" joked Lady Hatt. For the fun of it, no-one replied but they couldn't keep quiet for long as they all burst into laughter.  
"Wonderful…" grinned the Fat Controller proudly. "Just wonderful…"

It was anything but wonderful though for Gabby as thick frosts and plenty of snow meant she was still out on duty as the morning roared on. She'd passed a clock tower saying it was past 11am and she'd never been out this long before on one single night of duty.  
"This is ridiculous!" she said. "I'm surprised we haven't run out of grit yet!"  
"We almost have…" said the driver as they headed off for more supplies. While they were gone though, snow and ice made their way back. It didn't take them long until the roads were covered once more. All of Gabby's hard work was being undone in an instant. Cars were trying to go along roads but were struggling. The Hatt's though were oblivious to it all and once inside the car, they set off to the country cottage where Dowager Hatt was expecting them. The journey was normally a straight-forward one but the conditions didn't make it very easy at all.  
"Are you sure were ok, dear?" Lady Hatt asked nervously to her husband as the car's tyres slipped on more than one occasion.  
"Were fine…" he insisted. "We just have to take our time, that's all." Lady Hatt still looked unsure and Stephen and Bridget weren't feeling at ease either. In the cars back seats, they could hear the slipping tyres louder than anyone else and it was worrying them a lot. For a while though the trip went along nicely without any problems but then suddenly, the Hatt's blue car slipped on a patch of thick ice.  
"Woah!" cried Sir Topham Hatt as the car spun round all of a sudden.  
"AAAHHHH!" cried Stephen and Bridget. Lady Hatt just fell silent as the car span and span round in circles. The Fat Controller fought for the controls but it wasn't doing anything. The car was out of control.  
"Do something, dear!" Lady Hatt eventually cried.  
"I'm trying!" he replied but he couldn't do anything as the car suddenly lurched forward straight into a snow ditch. Snow fell all over the car and trapped the Hatt's inside. The doors were jammed by the tightly packed snow and they couldn't do a thing.  
"HELP!" they all cried but no-one could hear.

Suitably restocked, Gabby was now back out on the roads gritting her way along until her supply was empty once more. She and her driver though were noticing that there were no vehicles out on the roads whatsoever.  
"Were doing all this and there's no-one about…" sighed her driver.  
"It's best to be safe for them though," pointed out Gabby. "Even if no-one is around at all." she added before she started to sing and whistle again to pass the time. The Hatt's meanwhile were still trapped and were getting nowhere near safety. The cold conditions meant that even with the car's heater on, it was still freezing inside the car.  
"Topham," shivered Lady Hatt. "I do hope you've got a solution to this."  
"Possibly…" came his doubtful reply. The car then just fell silent as everyone tried to keep warm. In the distance though, Stephen could hear something. It sounded like someone singing.  
"Who or what is that?" he then asked. Everyone then listened closer and then suddenly the Fat Controller smiled.  
"Gabby!" he said joyously. "She's close by!"  
"Well do something to get her attention, granddad…" called Bridget. The Fat Controller didn't take long to decide on what to do and just thumped the car's horn for as loud and as long as possible. He'd tried it earlier but no-one had seemingly heard then, but Gabby did this time. The noise shocked her and her driver as the quiet of Christmas day was broken.  
"What was that?" Gabby asked as she surveyed the surroundings.  
"A car horn," said her driver. "Someone's in trouble." he added as he quickly led Gabby to the noise. When they got near, there was no car to be seen and it confused them at first. Gabby's driver though got out of the cab and cleared away some snow with his gloved up hands. "You're ok!" he called. "We're here to help!"  
"Oh thank goodness!" sighed Lady Hatt.  
"Phew indeed…" agreed Sir Topham as they could hear something being attached to the car's rear bumper. Enough snow had been cleared for a spare rope of Gabby's to be attached to it. Gabby revved up her engine loudly and just smiled.  
"Hang on everyone!" she called. "You're being freed!" she added as she pulled with all her might. The Hatt's clung on tightly as the car slowly but surely moved away from the snow drift. It wasn't long before they were all freed from it and safely back out into the open.  
"Woo! Yay! Go Gabby!" cheered Stephen and Bridget.  
"Thank you so much…" said Lady Hatt with a wide smile as she got out of the passenger seat. She was so pleased that she even hugged Gabby's driver.  
"Are you all ok?" Gabby then asked.  
"Fine and dandy…" smiled the Fat Controller. "A bit chilly, but otherwise chipper…"  
"It's all good to hear." grinned Gabby. "I suppose it'll only be kind if we lead you on a safe way to your location. Where were you off to anyway?"  
"Topham Cottage" said Lady Hatt. "His mother is expecting us." she added as she pointed at her husband.  
"We'll lead the way then. We've passed the cottage many a time." said Gabby's driver as the cavalcade set off.

Whistling and singing Christmas songs along the way, everyone enjoyed the journey and when they eventually pulled outside the cottage, Dowager Hatt came outside and was clearly relieved to see them.  
"What happened?" she asked. "And who is your…friend?" she added as she saw Gabby grinning widely.  
"Nothing major, mother…" said Sir Topham to dispel her worries. "We just got stuck in some snow. Gabby came and helped."  
"Well thank you very much." said Dowager Hatt to Gabby and her driver.

"No problem…" they both grinned as Dowager Hatt let her family in, and just as everyone settled into a warm house, she could see Gabby and her driver were about to depart.  
"You can stay, you know?" she said to the pair of them. "I know Topham's understating the whole incident, I can tell. I am his mother. It must have been serious as Jane and the kids are giving it away in their mannerisms. Staying is the least you can do."  
"It's a very kind offer," began Gabby driver.  
"But I insist…" she interrupted as she grabbed his hand. "You're getting some lovely Christmas dinner!" she added as they walked in. Gabby just smiled and looked into the dining room window where everyone was seated and happy. Sir Topham could see and opened the window to talk to her.  
"You really are a credit to Sodor…" he said.  
"Thank you, sir…" she smiled. "I was only doing my duty though."  
"You helped rescue me and my family. Were very grateful." he replied. "You and your driver I know are away from the mainland this Christmas so it's only fair that we treat you as one of the family." he added. Gabby just smiled. For the first time in years she had people who she could say were her family. So, as she watched everyone revel in the Christmas joy of dinner with all the trimmings, she slowly began to sing.  
"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas…" she began buoyantly. Everyone else heard and slowly made their way to the window to join in with the festive sing-song...  
_"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Good tidings we bring, to you and your kin, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!"_


	16. Diesel's Stowaway

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Diesel's Stowaway**

Diesel is an odd-job engine on the Island of Sodor. He has no particular place to call home and can be seen all around the island morning, noon and at night doing whatever he has been asked. Diesel's devious streak means he can get into trouble or get others into trouble, but he knows there are now more severe consequences for him than there ever used to be. Being useful is now one of his main aims, although he doesn't quite feel like himself at times anymore, much to his own annoyance.

The summer sun was blaring out when Diesel arrived at Brendam Docks one morning. He had been sent to the docks to deal with a train of several heavy crates as he wasn't needed for work at the quarry or at the cement works. The docks were noisy and full and work going on everywhere – for Diesel it was quite off-putting and slightly sickening. Everyone in and around the docks had a smile, all except him. Things weren't helped by the arrival of Salty.  
"Ahoy there Diesel!" he chimed with a big wide grin. "What brings you 'ere?" Diesel just looked back at Salty with disdain.  
"I'm here to do as I was asked." he said simply. "Now where are these crates I'm supposed to be collecting?" he then asked. Salty was about answer but was cut short by the loud laugh of the Fat Controller in the distance. He was chatting with a man and what appeared to be the man's son. The three of them then came towards Salty and Diesel.  
"This," boomed the Fat Controller. "…is a railway inspector. He's been looking over how work is done at the docks and so far I'm pleased to say he is impressed with what we're doing." The inspector nodded in agreement while the boy with them also smiled in agreement. The boy then turned to the inspector and whispered into his ear.  
"Not now, Jake…" the inspector answered back. "We can't take a ride in one of the engines I'm afraid."  
"Not even that one over there?" the boy then said as he pointed at Diesel. Diesel looked shocked and then somewhat happy he was the one that the boy had picked.  
"Not even that one," the inspector said firmly.  
"Oh, but dad!" Jake then answered back.  
"Rules are rules," said the inspector. "This diesel will soon be off with some heavy crates from the details I have listed on my notes. We can't delay him." he added before realising one slight problem. "Sir Topham, where are the crates for that engine to take?"  
"I was just about to ask the same thing…" pondered the Fat Controller.  
"Me too…" said Diesel. He wasn't in the mood for being delayed and the whole thing of the inspector watching him wasn't helping matters either. Soon, the crates were brought on flatbeds for Diesel with the inspector looking into them to check everything was correct.  
"Old worn down horses for the carousel," he observed. "This is the right job." he added as his son peered into the crates as well. Diesel had noticed that the son was a little older than most children he had seen around before and his attitude hinted towards him being a teenager. Diesel had heard funny stories of teenagers being moody and troublemakers, he often felt sorry for them. As he waited for the inspector to finish his inspection, the Fat Controller took the inspector to one side to have a chat. The inspector's son, Jake, was still peering into the crates and no-one had noticed that he had actually got inside one of them to get a closer look at the carousel horses. With the lid closed, no-one was to know he was inside.

After a long wait, the inspector eventually sent Diesel on his way with the crates. Neither the inspector nor the Fat Controller had taken much thought about Jake's whereabouts during their chat and it still didn't occur to them when Diesel pulled away and then out of sight.  
"Help!" cried Jake as he tried to get someone's attention. He knew he was now moving along with the train and although it was a little scary, he rather enjoyed it at first. It was something like a fairground ride, although a lot noisier. He tried calling out for help once again but the noise of Diesel's engine was just too much to be heard over. He tried to lift open the crate but it was heavier than he had first realised, he was stuck inside – he couldn't do anything else. "Help! Can somebody help me!" he cried out once more but no-one could hear him. Diesel was completely oblivious to what was going on but as he passed through stations and areas full of engines, one of his crates made a loud noise. It was a muffled noise but Diesel didn't hear a thing, but some others did.  
"What are you carrying in those crates?" asked Percy as Diesel passed him by.  
"Just carousel horses, why'd you ask?" Diesel scoffed.  
"They sure are making a lot of noise." Percy observed but Diesel brushed it aside and carried on as he was. Percy was sure something was wrong, but he couldn't be completely sure, so he had to let Diesel carry on as he was.

Back at the docks, the inspector and the Fat Controller's long chat was now at an end and after carrying out some final observations, the inspector then noticed the lack of his son.  
"Jake? Have you seen him?" he asked the Fat Controller. Sir Topham Hatt just nodded a no. Panic then set in for the inspector. He rushed around the docks calling out Jake's name and began a frantic search for his son. The Fat Controller came to his side to help, but neither were sure where Jake had gone.  
"Has he done this before?" asked the Fat Controller.  
"No, never…that's what's worrying me…" said the inspector as the search continued.

Jake was fine and not in any way of getting harmed, but he was beginning to grow tired of the long journey he was on. Occasional bumps in the line meant he bumped his head against one of the carousel horses, but it was nothing major. He still tried calling out for help at regular intervals and again it raised the suspicions of other engines, but not Diesel.  
"Are you sure there's not something in there?" wondered Donald.  
"Yes!" Diesel answered firmly for what was now the fourth time. His driver was beginning to get a little wary though and at the next chance to pull into a siding, he did so. "Don't say you think something is in the crates too?" Diesel then sighed.  
"It is a little odd is it not that we're the only ones to have not heard something?" his driver said. He was about to say a bit more, but it was cut short by a sudden muffled cry of help from the crate at the rear of Diesel's train. "Oh my…" said the driver as he rushed over. Using all his strength to open up the crate, Diesel's driver was shocked to see a young boy stowing away inside. He had a slight bruise on his head, but he was smiling all the same. "How do you get in here?"  
"I was looking at the horses and then I got trapped." answered the boy. "I did call out for help – I didn't think you'd ever stop."  
"Be thankful we have then…" smiled the driver. "You're the inspector's son, aren't you? I better send a call out." he added as he walked to a nearby telephone. Jake got out of the crate and then walked towards the front of the train and just smiled at Diesel. Diesel was slightly shocked. There had been someone in his crate after all and it was that boy from the docks earlier in the day. Diesel felt a little silly for not noticing any cries for help earlier, but Jake didn't look angry with him, he looked rather happy.  
"You do make for a rocky ride, you know?" Jake joked at Diesel. Diesel didn't answer but after a short time he did smile at Jake.  
"You were the one who wanted to have a ride in me at the docks, weren't you?" he then asked. Jake nodded.  
"Steam trains are all fine and good, but a dirty diesel is a lot more interesting." he smiled.  
"You have good taste," observed Diesel with a smile on his face. "How old are you?" he then asked.  
"Fourteen," answered Jake. "It's the summer holidays. My dad's an inspector and I wanted to see what he does for a job."  
"It wasn't clever to get in the crates though was it?" Diesel said in a sarcastic voice.  
"No," agreed Jake. "But it was fun all the same. I'd do it again if I could. I doubt my dad or your boss would agree to it though."  
"It's not likely," smiled Diesel. He hadn't smiled so much in a while and it felt all rather odd. Jake was full of adventure, that was clear to see, and it was something Diesel seemed to admire. He wasn't scared of anything, or didn't appear to be and that was commendable for someone of his age. Soon, Diesel's driver came back into view.  
"Jake, your dad is not pleased to say the least, but he is happy for us to take you back once we've delivered the horses. Our drop off is at the next station. You'll be back with your dad soon."  
"So I will get that ride then?" Jake then realised with a smile.  
"Indeed," agreed Diesel as Jake hopped aboard to the side of his driver before they set off.

"So, what do you think then?" asked Diesel's driver on the return leg of the journey to Jake. The drop off had been swift and now Diesel was taking Jake home - it was clear that Jake was having a whale of a time and took joy in pressing Diesel's horn on more than one occasion. Diesel laughed it off at first but soon got a little annoyed with its overuse but he let it go as Jake had been kind to him. Jake had been the kindest a person had been to Diesel for a long time, so was prepared to let it go.  
"This is brilliant!" smiled Jake as soon he arrived back at the docks with his father looking on sternly.  
"What were you thinking?" he asked. "You don't stowaway in crates like that, you should know that."  
"Sorry dad, but I had a great time." Jake replied. "Diesel was great."  
"That's as maybe, but my point still stands." said the inspector firmly. "What you did was wrong." Jake conceded to his father's point but he had still enjoyed his day all the same. Not many people of his age could say they'd been a stowaway on a train, could they?  
"Thanks Diesel…" Jake then said as he walked away with his dad, waving just before going out of sight. Diesel just smiled back while his driver just tooted his horn one last time, just for Jake.

Diesel still is an odd job engine who never stays in one location long enough to call home, but every so often he sees Jake while out on duties. He toots his horn loudly to get his attention while Jake just waves back happily. Both remember the great time they had that day, Jake's for the great fun of being a stowaway while for Diesel it was a case of making a new friend, a friend who truly liked him for who he was - a dirty but useful diesel.


End file.
